I'm with you, a Best Friend, and More
by littlegypsy25
Summary: Lizzie and Gordo have finally become more than friends, but will their families keep them arpart? Chapter 8
1. Your eyes can decieve you

Disclaimer: No I don't own Lizzie McGuire because if I did, I wouldn't end the show after 65 episodes!!!  
  
I'm with you, a Best Friend.and More Chapter 1: Your eyes can deceive you.  
  
"Mrs. McGuire! Mrs. Gordon! It's lovely to see you again!" The short English woman extended a worn hand, towards the two mothers who stood at the Rose gates.  
  
"Hello Ginny," Replied Jo in a warm voice.  
  
"Good morning, Ginny," said Hannah, taking the weathered hand and shaking it cordially.  
  
"And 'ow are my favorite children today?" asked Ginny,  
  
Staring up from the ground, were two-four-year-olds. One was a little boy, David. He was tiny and skinny, with a mop of brown curls on his head; he stared upwards thoughtfully, with large, blue eyes. "I'm fine, thank you." He said in a soft, young voice.  
  
Ginny began laughing, "Always the polite one, aren't you David? And 'ow is Elizabeth?"  
  
"Gooood." The tiny girl replied, as she pulled at a lock of blonde hair.  
  
"And then there is the normal one!" giggled Ginny.  
  
Hannah smiled, "Davie, silly boy, you don't have to talk like that."  
  
"Lizzie, you know 'Good' isn't proper English. You say fine, and don't forget thank you!" Jo held Elizabeth's baby hand.  
  
"Sank you," whispered Lizzie.  
  
"It's Thank you" said Davie.  
  
"It's not either!" she cried.  
  
"It isn't either," replied Davie matter-o-factly.  
  
"Stupid head!"  
  
"Dork brain!"  
  
"Jerk!"  
  
"Mutton head!"  
  
"Mutton head?" said Elizabeth quizzically.  
  
"It's lamb meat," replied David.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Lizabeth?" whispered David.  
  
"Yes Gordie?"  
  
"I'm sorry I called you a dork brain, and corrected your English."  
  
"I'm sorry I called your head stupid."  
  
David reached over and pulled Elizabeth into a tight embrace, which she returned.  
  
"They're like a married couple!" cried Ginny. She was laughing so hard she had to hold onto the old metal gate, with the many roses. "As a matter of fact..." she suppressed her laughter into a slight chuckle, "I'm going to make a bet that those two get married someday!"  
  
"Don't think we haven't already thought of that." Said Jo, keeping an eye on her daughter as she and David walked towards a bed of forget-me- nots.  
  
"Despite the differences in religion," began Hannah, looking at her son with a twinkle in her eye, "We think that they would be perfect for each other."  
  
"Affiance them, quickly!!" Ginny watched the two children herself, amazed at they way they got along. "Because if those two get out into the real world...with their looks and charm, someone will scoop them up, before they realize 'ow meant for each other they really are. My 'eavens! Look at the time! I best be gettin back to work, enjoy your time 'ere at the Rose Gate Gardens ladies!" Ginny called as she hurriedly grabbed her spade and ran toward the other side of the Garden.  
  
Together the mothers and their children walked through the paths that entwined through the old ivy covered world of flowers.  
  
It was a calm, spring afternoon in April, with a hint of breeze, just chilly enough to be forced into wearing a light windbreaker. (Which neither child wanted to wear of course.) Hannah looked at David running down the arid path, holding on to Elizabeth's hand, they were both giggling madly.  
  
"Jo, oh Jo...just look at them!" sighed Hannah.  
  
"Oh, goodness I know. But your husband."  
  
"And your husband..."  
  
"Would never agree to such a marriage." They finished together.  
  
"The religion..." said Jo.  
  
"Yes, religion...oh heavens how many wars have been started because of it?"  
  
"Sam's only in this country because his family was fleeing the wars in Ireland."  
  
"And Daniel's family came here in hopes of beating prejudice. You know that Adam..." Hannah couldn't finish.  
  
"I know...the war...the holo..." Jo couldn't finish either. "Will you ever tell him?"  
  
"David you mean?"  
  
Jo nodded.  
  
"It'll be hard saying to him, David your grandfather lived in a concentration..." she broke off.  
  
"What about your family Hannah, did they...?"  
  
"No. They came over right after World War I. On a boat, second class, not steerage."  
  
"Oh."  
  
For a while the two women walked in silence, their children laughing ahead of them.  
  
"Hannah, let's take them to the swing."  
  
Hannah nodded, saying nothing.  
  
--  
  
"Be careful Lizzie, don't fall off!" Jo cried as her daughter swung hirer.  
  
"Oh, David, do hold on tighter to that rope!!!" yelled Hannah.  
  
"Do they take us for macaroni's or something?" asked Lizzie indignantly as the two friends clung onto the rope swing and each other for support. "We are four you know."  
  
"That's moron, Liz, not macaroni. That's the stuff that comes in the blue box."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'm sorry." David said after a moment, the swing was going higher. He hugged his best friend of four years closer to him, and she hugged back.  
  
Elizabeth McGuire had never had any other friends besides David Gordon. The nice boy who lived down the street, he was full of life and smarts, and was always correcting her grammar. Even in Pre-School they rarely talked to anyone but each other. Unless David stopped to tell some kid that 'ain't' wasn't a word, and not to use double negatives.  
  
David Gordon had never known any other kid that he could have so much fun with. The pretty girl who lived less than a block away was wonderfully sweet and nice and telling him that green and purple didn't match.  
  
"Hey Lizzie?" David asked.  
  
"Yes Gordo?"  
  
"Someday when we're old, like in High School, I hope we still come here."  
  
"As best friends?" she asked, "Yeah. Best friends."  
  
"Gordo?"  
  
"Yes Lizzie?"  
  
"It isn't natural for boys to like flowers so much."  
  
"I don't like flowers." he said. The swing was slowing down, and suddenly his mother picked him up, and sat him on the ground.  
  
"It's time to go home." Hannah grabbed her son's hand, but he pulled away, running up the path.  
  
"Lizzie, let me button your coat." Jo only had her daughter's grasp for half a second after the baby pink jacket was fixed, before she scurried up the trail, and nearly ran into David.  
  
"Lizzie I don't like flowers." He repeated his earlier said statement.  
  
"Then why do you come here?" she asked, placing her tiny fists on her hips.  
  
"Because.I love to be with my best friend." He leaned over and hugged her. "Here Lizzie McGuire," Gordo held out three roses. One was yellow, the other white, and the last was red.  
  
"Thank you David Gordon." Leaning over she kissed him, right on the lips.  
  
But when you're four years old, a kiss on the lips means nothing, nothing more than friendship anyway, and with hands clasped they hurried down the road, laughing, and playing, two very best friends.  
  
--  
  
SLAM! "OW!!! Miranda!!! NO LOUD NOISE!!! I was up till midnight studying for today's Math Test."  
  
Miranda Sanchez sighed, and very quietly opened her locker door, then shut it again.  
  
"Happy now?"  
  
"No.my head still hurts." She rubbed her temples with a pained expression on her pretty face, and suddenly, opened her brown eyes and looked over at her friend. "I still can't believe you're doing this to me. Moving away, to MEXICO CITY!! And in the middle of Freshman year!! How totally unfair are you parents?" She began walking up the hall beside her.  
  
"Lizzie, I'm not staying forever. I'm not even moving!"  
  
"Miranda, you bought an apartment. You're moving."  
  
"Lizzie you know it's just until my Mom feels better, she can't take anymore cold weather. I'm sure that within a few months we'll move back home again."  
  
Miranda's mother had gotten sick with some sort of icky virus that Lizzie was still confused about. Jo McGuire was convinced that it was nothing short of homesickness and that Mrs. Sanchez was just missing things back in Mexico and cheaper living.  
  
"Hi, guys." It was Gordo, he caught up with his two very best friends, and walked down the hall on the other side of Lizzie.  
  
"Hi." Muttered Lizzie.  
  
"Miranda, I still can't believe you're leaving us." Gordo was shaking his head.  
  
"FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME I AM NOT MOVING!!!" Miranda shouted so loudly the whole hallway went dead quiet.  
  
"Oh, please do move Sanchez, it'll remove one less dork from the atmosphere." Kate Sanders appeared suddenly in front of them, her nose up in the air, speaking in her usual malicious tone.  
  
"You know what Kate?" began Miranda.  
  
"Miranda." whispered Lizzie warningly.  
  
"Lizzie, I can handle myself." Miranda snapped.  
  
"Oooh, afraid to get into a conflict McGuire?" asked Kate. "Really, you are a freak." And with that, Kate turned on her two inch stiletto heel and glided away.  
  
"Lizzie!!! I could have told her off!!! Now I won't ever get the chance!" Miranda scowled, and crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"But Miranda." Lizzie sputtered, "You-you said you weren't moving."  
  
Miranda looked away.  
  
"Oh my God..." she grabbed her arm, she could feel her voice cracking as she spoke. "Miranda.I thought.I mean you said..."  
  
"I lied okay?" She still couldn't look at Lizzie. "We're leaving for Mexico City and I don't know if we're coming back. Hell, I just may live there forever."  
  
"Miranda, are you being serious?" asked Gordo, he was feeling upset too.  
  
"I'm sorry...I-I just, I figured that this way you guys would just slowly get used to me not being around. It wouldn't bother you, you'd get over it...I-I..."  
  
"Miranda...it's going to take us ages to get use to you being gone...I mean..." Lizzie could feel the tears building up behind her eyes.  
  
"I know..." Miranda whispered. "I'm sorry..."  
  
"No, Miranda, we're sorry, sorry that you'll be leaving. It isn't your fault, you know." Gordo forced away the urge to cry. "Yeah.but I'll call, and write, and...and...I'm just going to miss you guys so much...!" And right there in the middle of the hall, the three of them started sobbing, in sort of a three way hug.  
  
Moving absolutely sucks.  
  
--  
  
It had been one month now, since Miranda had moved, and it seemed as if both Lizzie and Gordo were coping rather well. Until they were seven years old they had been best friends, like Peanut Butter and Jelly, it was only then that they had Miranda to become The Three Musketeers.  
  
The only difference was now that they were just "Lizzie and Gordo" again, and people suddenly began to realize how much time they really spent together. Gordo was never without Lizzie and Lizzie was never without Gordo. What up with that?  
  
Bang, bang, BANG. Lizzie smacked her head against the locker for the millionth time.  
  
"What are you doing?" Gordo came up behind her, trying to stifle a laugh.  
  
Lizzie picked up her head for a second, just to look at Gordo, "I'm trying to find someone else to go the movies with." And she started hitting it again, or rather hitting the locker, rather violently too, as violent as one can get, with their head. Gordo looked both ways down the hallway, looked over his shoulder and said sarcastically. "It's not like you don't have any friends you know. Nope, don't see any friends, anywhere at all."  
  
Lizzie's head snapped up, and she spun around, leaning against the locker. "Gordo!" she cried, and wacked him over the back of the head.  
  
"Lizzie!" he called and lifted his hand, but in one swift motion she had grabbed his hand, and twisted in a way that should not have been possible. Squinting her eyes, she stared into his own and said in annoyed voice,  
  
"Don't even try it."  
  
"Sorry." Lizzie let up her grasp, and he rubbed his arm.  
  
"I'll remind you that you are an only child, I've dealt with my little brother for 10 years, don't tempt me."  
  
"Okay, jeez I'm sorry, dang you're in a bad mood."  
  
"No, I'm not in a bad mood."  
  
Gordo coughed loudly and said something as he did so that sounded very much like, 'PMS', well that earned him another smack upside the head.  
  
"You know, I could go to the movies with you." Gordo said pointedly.  
  
"No, you can't." Lizzie snapped.  
  
"...WHY???..." "Because I was going to go with my friend Anna, the exchange student from Germany..."  
  
"Wait...wait, the hot Senior?"  
  
"Yes!" Lizzie cried impatiently.  
  
"Then I'm game!"  
  
"Gordo, she can't come, that's why I'm not going!"  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"See the movie is a total chick flick, or else I would have invited you." Lizzie explained.  
  
"Well...what movie is it?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"Ella Enchanted, you know the new Fantasy staring Anne Hathaway?"  
  
"Ooooo...WAIT!!! That gorgeous girl from The Princess Diaries?"  
  
Lizzie nodded. "What's your point?"  
  
"Well.I like fantasy, you know Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars...and Anne Hathaway is hot, so..."  
  
"Gordo, there's a huge romance involved, it's the retelling of Cinderella and the main theme revolves around the Power of Woman, and the Power of Love. You'll hate it."  
  
"How do you know so much about a movie you've never seen?"  
  
"It was originally a book by Gail Carson Levine, I read it in the fourth grade." Lizzie explained.  
  
"Oh" He looked at her face, something told him that this movie was important to her. "You really wanna go see this, don't you?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I've been waiting for a really long time now. It's one of my favorite books."  
  
"What time should I pick you up?"  
  
--  
  
"Two please." Gordo handed the man at the box office a 20, and waited for his change.  
  
"Gordo, you don't have to pay for my ticket!" Lizzie said in a very honest voice.  
  
"Sure I do."  
  
"It's bad enough I had to drag you here, let alone make you pay for my ticket."  
  
"Liz, don't think you're getting out of this so easy, you're buying the food."  
  
"EXCUSE ME??? That is so not fair. You get like the extra, super, double-big, giant, Russian circus-sized ."  
  
"Yeah I know, the really, really big popcorn."  
  
"And it costs almost as much as a ticket!"  
  
"I'm sneaky, aren't I?"  
  
"GORDO!!"  
  
"HAHAHA!"  
  
"One day, I'm going to kill you, just grab you around the neck and strangle you." Lizzie shook at fist at him threateningly.  
  
"Yeah, and then who'll sit with you at lunch, KATE?"  
  
"Shut up," she snapped as he stood next to her and laughed.  
  
--  
  
Finally in their seats, Gordo with his extra large popcorn, and giant sized Coke and Lizzie with her small bucket and bottle of Aquafina, they waited for the movie to start.  
  
"Thank you." She said suddenly, looking at him.  
  
"Hey, what are friend's for?"  
  
Lizzie opened her mouth to say something, but then the movie started.  
  
After watching the dancing hot dog, and the "Please throw away your trash, turn you cell phone off, and please don't talk," messages, they watched the ever loveable previews, and finally the movie.  
  
--  
  
An hour later the movie, (which turned out to be quite good) Gordo thought so anyway, the heroine Ella was being threatened by some not-so- nice ogres. The one was trying to put her in a skillet, and Lizzie, totally consumed by the movie, horrified by the gruesome looking creatures, and the site of the half eaten horse they had snacked on, she turned her head, and buried it in Gordo's shoulder. He looked over...  
  
"Lizzie...?"  
  
"Eww....I can't look, it's gross."  
  
And though she didn't mean it, her head sort of got...stuck there, for the rest of the movie. Gordo's shoulder, she discovered was incredibly comfortable, and he didn't seem to mind, so she stayed there, and watched the whole way to the end, right as Ella married Prince Charmont and lived Happily Ever After.  
  
As the lights came back on, Lizzie stood up, and so did Gordo. In truth, having Lizzie rest her pretty head on his own shoulder hadn't fazed him, they'd been best friends forever, I mean really, he'd been in her bedroom, he'd seen her right after she got out of the shower, right after she'd gotten up in the morning, and right after she'd been sick, with the flu.  
  
The two of them were walking up the ramp, talking about the movie, and Gordo couldn't help but to say, 'It was actually really good,' a voice, a snotty voice came from behind them.  
  
"Hello, Lizzie, hello, Gordo."  
  
It was Kate.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo spun around, looking right into Kate's leering face. Ethan was with her, looking dumbfounded, as always, his perfect hair cascading over his brown eyes. "Did you like the movie?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, it was good." Replied Lizzie.  
  
"Lizzie, Lizzie!" cried Ethan, "You look lovely, my lady."  
  
"Thanks Ethan," Lizzie replied, flustering a little.  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes, and so did Kate.  
  
"Whatever." She said, "Come on Ethan, you promised you'd go shopping with me."  
  
"Bye-bye Lizzie, and Gord-on, my main man!, you, me, we need to get together some time, hang! Lata!" and he was ushered away from them, by a spitting mad Kate.  
  
"Ooooo! I hate her. I loathe her. I-I..." but she couldn't come up with anymore nasty words for hate. "I can totally agree," said Gordo. "What are you having for dinner?"  
  
"Probably shells and sauce." She answered.  
  
"Can I have dinner at your house?  
  
--  
  
On Monday morning whispers followed Lizzie the whole way to home room. She was getting funny looks, and odd stares, which she found extremely disconcerting. It was Monday, which made her sleep to begin with, and secondly she'd been up late again on AIM, chatting with Gordo about the ideals of world peace. Why? She had no clue.  
  
"Hey, Gordo." She said, as she came up to her locker, which was next to his, pulling out the books she had taken home.  
  
"Hey!" he replied in his usual friendly tone.  
  
"Hello, Lizzie." Came a recognizable snooty voice.  
  
Yeah, you guessed it, Kate.  
  
"I have a question for you Lizzie." She spun around, and looked Kate right in the eye.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Are you and Gordo..." she wiggled her first two fingers, "Going out???"  
  
Lizzie lost it, totally and completely lost it. She fell on the floor, in hysterics she was laughing so hard, "Me.and." she tried to talk between laughs, "Me...and..." more laughter. "Gordo...and..." peals of laughter. "You...you think..." barrels of laughter.  
  
Katie got a rather annoyed expression on her face and along with her lackeys she turned on her heel and marched away.  
  
"Can...you...believe her...?" she asked, clutching her side, which hurt from laughing.  
  
"No..." replied Gordo, slamming his locker door shut and marching away.  
  
Well that shut Lizzie up. "Gordo, what's wrong?" she yelled to his retreating back, "Gordo?"  
  
He didn't answer her.  
  
Well what did you think?  
  
First fic on here, I hope you liked it!  
  
~Jen 


	2. Is he out of his Gourd?

Hey I return, this is a short chapter, sorry! Haha .. usually mine are a lot longer . .next one will be lengthier. Thanks for the awesome reviews!!! I feel so loved! :-D ~Jen  
  
I'm with you, a Best Friend, and More.  
  
Chapter 2 IS HE OUT OF HIS GOURD?  
  
2. 3x + 6 -10 = 8  
  
Lizzie stared at the question for a moment, and then realizing just what she had to do, reached for her pencil, which just because she was so lucky, slid right off her desk. She leaned down, but the metal bar that connected the chair to the desk got in her way.  
  
"Gordo .. " She whispered, his desk was right next to hers. "Could you grab my pencil? Gordo?" He was ignoring her. Now granted, he did sort of get rapped up in his work sometimes, but STILL. "Gordo!" she whispered a bit louder. He was STILL ignoring her. "GORDO!!!" she half-shouted, so that everyone turned in their desks to look at her.  
  
"Miss McGuire!" Boomed the voice of her math teacher, Mr. Molnar, "THIS IS A TEST!!"  
  
"I .. I'm sorry sir .. it's just that .. my pencil, I couldn't reach it .. " She couldn't finish, because he cut her off,  
  
"SILENCE!" He then turned away, back to his work, glancing up at her every so often.  
  
Great, now she didn't have a pencil. She reached into her book bag and searched .. nothing. This was going to be a great day ....  
  
--  
  
"What'll it be?" asked the woman behind the counter, her plastic gloves shinning on her wrinkled hands.  
  
Lizzie looked at her options, it was between 'Tacos" or a "Meatball Hoagie."  
  
"Um .. I guess I'll have the tacos." She finally said, figuring that she would go get a bag of chips or a piece of cake or something to soothe her stomach instead.  
  
"Do ya want rice?"  
  
Lizzie glanced at the rice, it looked like it was rice soup, and the broth was butter. "Uh .. no thanks." She grabbed her tray, got a piece of marble cake, a bottle of water, a napkin, paid, and then ran to her seat, her normal table in the cafeteria, the one she always shared with Gordo. As she sat picking at her disgusting attempt at a taco, she watched for him to come out of lunch line. At long last, he appeared, holding his tray, two tacos with toppings lying sideways on his plate. But he didn't come over and sit at Lizzie's table, instead he went over and sat with, TUDGEMAN.  
  
"Is he out of his GOURD?" Lizzie asked aloud, to know but herself.  
  
"Is anyone sitt-ing here?" came a strange, accented voice. It was Anna, the German Exchange Student.  
  
"Oh, no, go right ahead." Lizzie replied warmly.  
  
"Thank-you. You see, my other friends are not here. They vent to some County Band thing. So, how are you Lizzie? I-am-sorry that I could not go to movies vith you. I vas very busy dat weekend. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"Oh, no it's okay Anna, I invited my friend Gordo to go, but it would have been fun if you'd gone."  
  
"I not seen very many Ameri-can films so far. The ones dat they haf play in Germany," she paused, "In Muncha, are duvbed."  
  
"What is 'Muncha'?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Anna laughed. "I haf forgotten dat you Ameri-cans call it MUNE-ic, that is vrong. It is MUNE-cha. You know vhat I am tafing about, the city Munich?"  
  
"Oh, I see," usually Lizzie loved hearing Anna talk about Germany and home, but right now, she was worried. Why on earth wasn't Gordo talking to her? Why didn't he sit with her at lunch?  
  
"Is somefink vrong Liz-zie McGuire?"  
  
"No, Anna. No, nothing's wrong, I'm just not hungry that's all."  
  
"Ho vould ve hungry vith de food that you serf here? It is just bad."  
  
"Yes, Anna, it is awful. School is awful all together." Especially, she thought, when you don't have a friend to get through it with.  
  
--  
  
Updated soon as possible! Il est bonne, non? Il est tres travialle. Non?  
  
Bonus points to the person who can translate it!!  
  
(And fix my spelling too . oh jeez) 


	3. Falling into something new

Questions, many, many, questions.  
  
How the heck do I get my stupid italics to work at fanfic.net? Stupid thing won't except my html.WTH? (what the heck or-well-yeah you know what I mean)  
  
How many reviews do most people get after they write a story, including e- mail inbox? (Just wondering you know, because I got like fifty thousand, THANK YOU, and I'm wondering if that's just people being, you know really nice, or just my story was actually worth my time and effort)  
  
WHY CAN'T I GET THIS TO WORK  
  
......  
  
When I'm writing normal things?  
  
  
  
An answer to this poor and pathetic non-internet savvy girl, living in a hole that is Johnstown PA.well keep up the reviews, they made me so happy! But please, be honest, be brutal, I'm tough I can stand the criticism. Dang, I get enough of it at school.  
  
Oh and translation, It is good, no? It is hard work.  
  
I have an obsession with French . haha.  
  
And on with the show.  
  
Disclaimer: (think I forgot one in the last chapter.oops.) Anyway, I do NOT own Lizzie McGuire, and if I did, I would be playing Lizzie, instead of Miss Hilary Duff (though she's actually a very good actress come to think of it .) and A Thousand Miles belongs to Miss Vanessa Carlton  
  
Chapter 3: Falling into something new  
  
The day seemed longer than any Lizzie could remember. Every moment seemed to tick by so slowly, she just wanted to scream. Gordo wouldn't talk to her, he wouldn't even look at her, and it just made her heart ache. Gordo had never really been mad at her before. Nothing like this. They'd had fights, sure, what friendship hadn't? They'd had slight arguments over dumb things, Ethan Craft, her obsession with Ethan Craft, Ethan Craft's hair, Ethan Craft's brain, yeah basically anything that dealt with Ethan Craft. Gordo hated him, and not that Lizzie blamed Gordo, because really, it had to be hard to have the girls always hanging and obsessing over his good looks and charm, and the it annoyed him to death how Ethan didn't have enough brains to fill an egg-cup.  
  
It was seventh period English, Gordo sat right in front of her. She stared at the back of his head, and the dark curls that covered it, he'd always had unreasonable hair. She tapped her pencil lightly against her desk and sighed, what was up with him? Why was he so upset? Gordo was never this stubborn-wait never mind, scratch that, Gordo was stubborn a lot.  
  
'Gordo', she thought, 'Why won't you talk to me?'  
  
--  
  
The bell rang finally, at the end of seventh period. Lizzie usually enjoyed English too, she had discovered that year, with a little push from her teacher Miss Bennett that she was actually not half bad at writing. But she just couldn't concentrate on her Creative Writing Essay 'Talk about a familiar childhood memory'. Mostly she couldn't stop thinking about those times in the garden with her best friend.  
  
'What's wrong with me!' her mind seemed to be screaming. She was walking out of the room, trying hard not to think about how the only real friend she had wouldn't even look at her. 'Gordo will calm down,' she thought miserably. But for some reason this time it felt worse, worse than their normal little fights. This time it felt as if something bad was going to happen.  
  
Lizzie stopped dead, suddenly, realizing that she was in front of her locker, which was by Gordo's locker. She had unconsciously walked there. He was digging inside his backpack, and tossing in the books he would need for homework.  
  
"Hi," she said, very quietly.  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"Gordo, why won't you talk to me?' she demanded.  
  
Still no reply.  
  
"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?" she hollered, a little louder than she meant.  
  
"What's my problem?" he cried, spinning around.  
  
"He speaks!" Lizzie pulled a small smile, but dissolved it when she saw the look of contempt on his face.  
  
"Do you know what my problem is Lizzie McGuire?"  
  
She didn't know.  
  
"My problem, is YOU. My best friend, who really isn't a friend."  
  
"Gordo, I'm sorry if I hurt you when I laughed, it's just, I mean I figured that you wouldn't take it seriously."  
  
"Yes, well I did." He retorted, and slamming his locker door shut he stormed away.  
  
"Gordo .. " she murmured, as he disappeared into a sea of bodies. "Oh, gosh Gordo, why are you so angry?"  
  
--  
  
"Mom?" Lizzie closed the heavy oak door behind her as she entered the house.  
  
"In here honey!" her mother called.  
  
Lizzie walked into the kitchen, feeling sort of out of it.  
  
"Sweetie you okay?" Jo looked at her daughter's tired face, she looked extremely distraught.  
  
"What?" Lizzie hadn't heard her mother, she was spacing.  
  
"Okay, what's up?" asked Jo, she knew when her daughter was upset "Come on, sit down, girl talk, let's go." She pulled out a chair from the marble island positioned in the middle of the McGuire's spacious kitchen.  
  
Lizzie sat down, however reluctantly on the stool at the island. "It's just; Gordo's really upset with me."  
  
Jo looked surprised. "Over what?"  
  
"Well, I'm not sure exactly--" Lizzie was just about to say that she shouldn't have laughed, when Matt came skidding into the room.  
  
"Uh .. Mom?"  
  
"Matt! Can't you see that your sister and I are talking???" Jo demanded.  
  
"But Mom, I just wanted to tell you that if you get a call from someone about mice, frogs, pickles and Ms. Hanson's poodle, just know, IT WASN'T ME!!" And with that Matt McGuire ran right out of the room.  
  
"MATT!!!" Jo yelled, "Come Back!!!" she turned to her daughter with a sorrowful expression on her face. "Honey, I'll be back, I have to go take care of your brother."  
  
"It's okay Mom, do you mind if I take a walk?"  
  
"Sure honey, be back before dark."  
  
--  
  
The world was still warm and breezy when Lizzie started strolling down the street. It was only a little after 3, and she just sort of blocked everyone at. She didn't want to think about how much her heart was aching for her best friend, maybe if she went over to the Gordon's, and went inside. He couldn't just storm away from his own house, could he? But she knew what Gordo was like, he would do if he had to, he would slam the door in her face, or maybe just not answer it at all.  
  
'My life is so irreversibly screwed up!' she thought. The one girl that she happened to be best friends with had moved away, the boy she had loved as a friend forever was gone too. She was a total loner.  
  
Her feet shuffled under her, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, it didn't matter. She just needed to clear her head.  
  
~*Making my way downtown  
  
Walking fast  
  
Faces passed  
  
And I'm home bound*~  
  
Glancing around she realized her position, downtown. Lumps of people in all directions, it was hard not stepping on anyone.  
  
~*Staring blankly ahead  
  
Just making my way  
  
Making my way  
  
Through the crowd~*  
  
God, what was the point? Why go anywhere, if no one wants you?  
  
~*And I need you  
  
And I miss you  
  
And now I wonder....*~  
  
Maybe if the earth just swallowed her up, totally and completely, anything better than to be here, where someone she cared about hated her ..  
  
~*If I could fall  
  
Into the sky  
  
Do you think time  
  
Would pass me by  
  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
  
A thousand miles  
  
If I could  
  
Just see you  
  
Tonight*~  
  
Why is it that he had to be so stubborn!!?? Didn't he care that he was killing her?!  
  
"Wait a minute," Lizzie stopped half way down the street. "Why do I care? It's Gordo!! I mean-I mean . "  
  
~*It's always times like these  
  
When I think of you  
  
And I wonder  
  
If you ever  
  
Think of me*~  
  
She recovered quickly, realizing those thoughts were ridiculous. "He's my best friend in the whole world, what do you do without your best friend?"  
  
~*'Cause everything's so wrong  
  
And I don't belong  
  
Living in your  
  
Precious memories  
  
'Cause I need you  
  
And I miss you  
  
And now I wonder .... *~  
  
But right now, more than ever, she needed her best friend. She needed him to say, "Hey Lizzie, wanna go to the Digital Bean?" She needed him because a day without him to talk to was just so lonely.  
  
~*If I could fall  
  
Into the sky  
  
Do you think time  
  
Would pass me by  
  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
  
A thousand miles  
  
If I could  
  
Just see you  
  
Tonight*~  
  
Let the world swallow her up, right now, get her the hell out of this mess.  
  
~And I, I  
  
Don't want to let you know  
  
I, I  
  
Drown in your memory  
  
I, I  
  
Don't want to let this go  
  
I, I  
  
Don't ...... *~  
  
She stopped, and looked ahead, and there he was, just walking down the street.  
  
Hands shoved deep in his pockets he obviously wasn't paying any attention, lost in thought. She wanted to run to him, hug him, and apologize. But she couldn't budge. 'Move your feet Lizzie McGuire' her mind was screaming. She had to move, she had to get to him ... she had to ..  
  
"Gordo!" she cried, sprinting down the littered sidewalk, pushing past kids and parents, gossiping neighbors, smooching couples.  
  
~*Making my way downtown  
  
Walking fast  
  
Faces passed  
  
And I'm home bound*~  
  
And he stopped, he really stopped and looked at her.  
  
"Hi." She said quietly.  
  
He looked at her. "Lizzie look, I need to-I need to ... " He couldn't finish. "Lizzie I just want to tell you-"  
  
"Gordo, I get it, I'm sorry I laughed, I just figured-"  
  
"Lizzie, don't talk, I need to do something right now, and if I don't I'll regret it."  
  
And that's when he did it. Totally spontaneous, a flame, a spark, something real, something that Lizzie could have held in her arms and looked at, it seemed that beautiful, and that perfect. A real kiss.  
  
Lizzie had been kissed twice in her lifetime, only two real kisses, the kind between boyfriend and girlfriend had passed on her lips.  
  
But this was different.  
  
This just hit her upside the head with fireworks, electricity-everything. The kind of kisses only romance novels talk about, or you dream about. She stood there for a second after it was over and looked at him.  
  
And before she could put a tighter grasp on the moment, cling to it, memorize it, he was gone, he turned and disappeared into the many pedestrians on the crowded sidewalk.  
  
~*If I could fall  
  
Into the sky  
  
Do you think time  
  
Would pass us by  
  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
  
A thousand miles  
  
If I could  
  
Just see you ...... Tonight*~  
  
"Oh my God." She said in a barely audible whisper, and then Lizzie McGuire blacked out.  
  
  
  
HAHA!!! Cliff hanger!!! DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN!!  
  
Yeah I know, update soon, I'm workin on it!!  
  
~Jen 


	4. I'm With You

Bonjour everybody!!! I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK!!!  
  
Okay new bonus point special!  
  
C'est Adam Lamberg. Il n'est pas dans une ecole secondaire americaine. Il est dans college. Il a dix-huit ans!  
  
And I am sooooooo not lying. Answer will be posted in Chapter 5!  
  
Thanks for Reviews, you've no idea how much they meant to me!!! I can log into my inbox five times in 1 hour and there will be another or even two more review alerts. Merci Beaucoup! (Thanks so much) Remember though, I haven't got a flame yet, so send me some real criticism! I AM TOUGH!!! *cough*  
  
BTW- Ciao Lizzie will be in theatres MAY SECOND!!! (Joygasm!)  
  
~Jen  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire; do wish I owned Gordo though. "I'm with you" belongs to Avril Lavinge. (I just love her ... )  
  
Chapter 3: I'm With You  
  
"Miss?" someone was shaking her. "Miss, are you all right?" Poking and prodding her in the arm.  
  
"Stop it . ... " she murmured.  
  
"Miss, oh heavens do wake up!!!" came the voice near her ear.  
  
"Ger'off" she muttered, trying to push away whoever was next to her.  
  
"She's not bleeding is she?" came a male voice.  
  
"No-no, she just collapsed," came the elderly female voice again.  
  
Lizzie cracked an eye open, the bright spring sun practically blinding her. Half-a-dozen people were standing around her.  
  
"Oh she's awake!!! Are you alright dear?" A middle aged woman was bending near her, her short black hair was streaked with gray.  
  
"Oh, my God, Gordo!" Lizzie cried.  
  
"She's delirious!" cried the woman.  
  
"Gordo, I have to get to Gordo!" she tried sitting up.  
  
"No, no, dear, don't get up the paramedics are on there way." The woman patted her hand soothingly, "I am Betty dear, please just lay back down."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am," said Lizzie politely, "but really I have to go, my friend, he . . " she paused, was Gordo her friend? After what had jut happened . . "Please, I need to go."  
  
"No, dear . ."  
  
Lizzie jumped to her feet, "Really, I'm fine."  
  
The crowd consumed her, everybody was talking at once.  
  
"Feel her head," said one woman.  
  
"I told you Marge!" boomed a man, "Those terrorists are gonna get us all sick with E Coli!"  
  
"E Boli, Harvey."  
  
"I hope you're not contagious, dear" said another woman.  
  
"Do you feel lightheaded?" asked a man.  
  
"PLEASE!!!" cried Lizzie, "I'm FINE!!! Just let me go. I'm not lightheaded, I don't feel sick, I just . . I'm fine, really."  
  
"But . . "  
  
--  
  
Twenty minutes later Lizzie was walking down the sidewalk completely frazzled. "Why do people complain about their neighbors being unfriendly? Jeez. Now," she stopped and glanced around. "Where the heck did he go? He obviously didn't go home, because it's the wrong direction."  
  
Then it hit her.  
  
"THE GARDEN!" How could she have been that dumb? Lizzie glanced at her watch, it was almost 5:00 and the April evening was cooling but it didn't matter. She clutched her light blue windbreaker around her a little tighter, and began sprinting down the sidewalk. "Oh, gosh, oh gosh... ." she stopped, "Oh, shoot I don't even know which way to go... she hadn't gone this way in a long time, she regretted it too, hadn't she made a promise to Gordo that both of them would return there someday? Her heart was suddenly aching, what if she did find him and he didn't want to talk?  
  
SPLAT!  
  
Something hit her head. She reached up... a rain drop.  
  
SPLAT! SPLAT!!  
  
"Oh, perfect." She pulled her hood over her head, and began to run. She knew it was someplace down this road... "Oh, Gordo don't leave, whatever you do, don't leave." Her mind was racing, "My God, please help me out here..." suddenly she stopped; there it was, a sign, a tired old crumbly wood sign,  
  
ROSE GATE GARDENS  
  
Open to public from 7 AM until dark.  
  
But the old rusty gate, with the ivy climbing up its exquisite metal work,  
  
-was closed.  
  
She walked up to the gate, and touched the ivy tendrils, covered in the falling rain. She fingered the metal bars, and reached to the iron latch- it opened. A cry caught itself in the back of her throat; she hadn't been here in so long...  
  
Slowly Lizzie pushed the gate forward, and put a foot over the threshold, memories hit her, like the rain water; they were every where, she could feel them, touch them, smell them...  
  
She could hear his laughter, see his face, smell the roses he'd given here, as if it were all five minutes ago.  
  
Her feet started moving, as she passed everything from her childhood. Trees, grassy spots, beds of roses, and forget-me-nots. There had been a bridge too, she remembered that all too clearly, and the swing that old wooden swing.  
  
Walking down the wet paths, Lizzie made her way over to the old bridge, on the other side, someplace was the swing.  
  
~*I'm standing on a bridge  
  
I'm waitin in the dark  
  
I thought that you'd be here by now  
  
There's nothing but the rain  
  
No footsteps on the ground  
  
I'm listening but there's no sound*~  
  
She stopped and looked, there he was, slightly bent over, staring over into the water.  
  
What could she say, what could she do?  
  
"Hello." She whispered. He turned around and looked at her.  
  
~*Isn't anyone tryin to find me?  
  
Won't someone please take me home  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Won't you take me by the hand  
  
take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I, I'm with you*~  
  
The rain was pouring down now, and he wasn't wearing his hood. Dark brown curls plastered to his head, she had a feeling that without the rain, he'd still have droplets sliding down his face, she could feel warm tears leaking down her own face.  
  
"Hi," He replied.  
  
~*I'm looking for a place  
  
Searching for a face  
  
Is there anybody here I know  
  
Cause nothings going right  
  
And everything's a mess  
  
And no one likes to be alone*~  
  
Lizzie walked over to him, and looked into his light blue eyes, "I'm sorry." She whispered.  
  
"No, I'm sorry." He looked away, "I shouldn't have done that. I'm not sure what I was thinking."  
  
She put her hand over and pulled his up his chin, so he was looking at her, "You were thinking with your heart." She smiled, "And I can't blame you for that."  
  
~*Isn't anyone tryin to find me?  
  
Won't someone please take me home  
  
It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Wont you take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are But I, I'm with you *~  
  
"Gordo...we've been friends for a really long time. Maybe it's time we became something more."  
  
A slight smile curved around his lips. "Yeah...maybe."  
  
And now it was her turn to shock him, she leaned over and kissed him.  
  
It was just like the last time, she realized, all the sparks, all the fireworks, her hood fell of her head, and the rain was soaking her blonde hair, but she didn't care, it didn't really matter, did it?  
  
~*Oh why is everything so confusing  
  
Maybe I'm just out of my mind  
  
Yea, yea, yea*~  
  
He looked at her, when it was over, the rain soaking everything, almost blinding her as she stared into his eyes.  
  
"This is crazy!" he cried.  
  
She hugged him, and said, "Yeah, but that's what makes it wonderful."  
  
~*It's a damn cold night  
  
Trying to figure out this life  
  
Wont you take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I, I'm with you*~  
  
"Lizzie," he pushed her away, "Our families would kill us."  
  
She turned and leaned over the bridge looking into the water, "I know."  
  
He put out his hand, "Come on," he said quietly, "We have to get out of the rain."  
  
~*Take me by the hand  
  
Take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I, I'm with you  
  
I'm with you*~  
  
They started walking, her hand in his, they didn't talk, just sort of looked in the garden, and she knew he was remembering everything too.  
  
"It's sort of scary, isn't it?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, all these memories." He replied very softly.  
  
Suddenly they stopped, and Lizzie looked ahead; it was the old wooden swing. It hung under a huge oak, and near it was a very sheltered alcove.  
  
"I don't want to get of the rain," she said quickly, "I want to go on the swing."  
  
He laughed, "Okay." They walked towards it and Gordo gave one side a sharp tug, "It seems okay. You know it's a lot lower than I remembered."  
  
"Yeah." She sat down, and he sat next to her, it was still wide enough for two people. He clutched her hand, and looked at her,  
  
"Lizzie, this-this may not work you know."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Our families, well our Fathers anyway, are pretty hard headed about such things, especially mine. He wants me to settle down with a nice Jewish girl."  
  
"And my Dad expects me to marry another Gentile." She answered.  
  
"But I want this to work." He said.  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Then, I'm with you, Lizzie McGuire, a best friend, and maybe more. I want us to be more than what we've been."  
  
She nodded. "I'm with you too David Gordon, I'm with you."  
  
~*Take me by the hand  
  
take me somewhere new  
  
I don't know who you are  
  
but I, I'm with you  
  
I'm with you  
  
I'm with you...*~  
  
And so they sat in the rain, on that old wooden swing, and decided it had to be done.  
  
'I want to do what I think is right," she thought, 'Even if Mom and Dad don't agree.'  
  
--  
  
Well I've been putting it off ALL weekend, and TA-DA!!! It's done. You like???  
  
Chapter 5 will be up sooner, heck, I don't want to do my homework. I know that this ending isn't a cliff hanger, but there is something you totally won't see coming, an new character and some of their dates. So, I'm gonna make you wait!!!  
  
~Jen 


	5. Keep it Secret

I HAVE RETURNED!!!  
  
Sorry I haven't updated in like forever, homework keeps a girl awfully busy.  
  
Thanks for Reviews!!! Though I didn't get as many as last time. *looks away with puppy dog eyes* No it's okay, TAWNY wow that's the greatest thing you said!! Wow! I feel so loved. My friends are like "What the heck? JENNY! GIFTED?? We've never used those words in the same sentence before!" Thanks everybody you said some really nice stuff!  
  
Answer to bonus  
  
This is Adam Lamburg. He's not in high school. He's in collage. He's 18 years old!  
  
Sort of weird isn't it?  
  
Christy Carlson Ramono is the same age too, but she sorta looks it, he on the other hand doesn't...  
  
She's at Columbia right now. Which is sort of disgusting when you think about it. Adams' from NYC too. What up with that? Actually she's from New Hampshire.  
  
And Lalaine has a CD commin out, "You Wish" and someone has signed Christy for an album too.  
  
BTW you guys can check out the Lizzie McGuire Movie Trailer at www.disneychannel.com It looks pretty good. I just hope that she and Gordo get together.  
  
Anyway ON WITH THE SHOW!!! (this is sort of a bring everything together chapter, hope you like)  
  
Disclaimer: No, I do not own Lizzie McGuire. I wish I did though, I'd be rich. Oh and by the way, I'm changing Mr. Gordon's name to Daniel! Joy...  
  
Chapter 5: Keep it Secret  
  
The rain had ceased, into simple splatters of droplets every so often. The streets were darker, and the lamps had come on, giving a dim lit path for the walk home. The air was heavy from the rain, smelling of soft spring flowers and everything was quiet. A beautiful, peaceful quiet.  
  
He was holding her hand as they walked, as she clutched tightly to his own. She didn't say anything to him; she didn't know what to say.  
  
He briefly glanced at her every so often, he was just as boggled by all of this as she was.  
  
"Gordo..." she began, but stopped.  
  
He didn't walk any further, "What?" he asked.  
  
"We've been friends forever you know."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"And what happens if...if...I mean if we..."  
  
"Break up and never speak to each other again." He replied dully, letting go of her hand.  
  
The words were caught in the back of her throat. She wanted to say something to him. Anything, to make him understand that she was just as worried.  
  
"Well...what do you propose that we do?" he asked.  
  
Lizzie closed her eyes. "I don't know."  
  
"Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone about this..." He began  
  
"Well I wasn't planning on telling our parents."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Gordo, you're Jewish, I'm Christian! It would never work."  
  
"To hell with religion." He snapped. "I wouldn't care if you thought a chicken was God, who cares about that?"  
  
"I don't care!" she answered, almost angrily. A little more kindly; "But our parents do."  
  
Gordo turned away. "Lizzie, maybe the right idea is just to pretend that nothing's going on between us. Instead we should just keep it a secret."  
  
"Actually..." she thought about this. "That isn't a bad idea."  
  
"No one in school would have to know. Besides if people at school knew, then people at the Middle School would know, and your brother would know..."  
  
"And my brother would blab to my parents." Lizzie finished.  
  
"So then it's a deal?" he took both of her hands, "We just keep it a secret?"  
  
"It's not going to be easy." She looked into his soft blue eyes. "I mean every other couple can run around the school PDAing, and we can't."  
  
He nodded. "Well, maybe that will make us care more. You know, if I can't be with you now, I will be later, I have to wait."  
  
She grinned, "Yeah, that actually makes sense." Gordo let go of her hands,  
  
"Then I guess we can't hold hands now!" he began laughing.  
  
Lizzie smiled, "It's dark, no one will see."  
  
And they continued down the road, hand and hand.  
  
--  
  
They stood on her front porch, the moon almost rising in the deep blue sky.  
  
"My mother is going to kill me!" she said darkly.  
  
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'll call you later."  
  
"Okay..." he turned away and began walking down the steps, onto the street and out of sight. She stood for a minute, watching until she could no longer see his curly dark head, and let out a squeak of pure joy.  
  
"Oh...wow...I..." she couldn't talk she was so happy.  
  
And then she remembered; she was supposed to be home before dark.  
  
"Oh...boy"  
  
She opened the door into the McGuire's with uncertainty, she knew what was coming.  
  
"LIZZIE MCGUIRE!"  
  
Jo appeared in the foier, clutching a dish rag and a half dried plate.  
  
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"  
  
"I...I..." she tried to come up with a quick excuse, but her brain was so fried from her evening with Gordo that she couldn't talk.  
  
"Oooo! BUSTED!" Matt appeared next to his mother, a devilish smirk playing on his lips.  
  
"You can just can it Mister!" Jo snapped. "You're already in enough trouble."  
  
"Ha-ha!" Lizzie jeered, but stopped instantly at the look of contempt on her Mother's face.  
  
Sam McGuire came in then too, "Young Lady!"  
  
Lizzie cringed. "Look, I'm sorry I'm so late, it's just I ran into Gordo, and we were trying to hide out from the rain..."  
  
"Well you did a GREAT job of that? Didn't we?" her mother inquired.  
  
Lizzie glanced down, her clothes were pretty wet. She thought miserably of sitting on the swing.  
  
"Well it doesn't mean that we didn't get wet." She replied.  
  
"You could have called!" Jo said irritably.  
  
"I didn't have any change," Lizzie answered honestly, for the first time.  
  
"WE WERE WORRIED SICK!" Jo's face was purple.  
  
"I'm sorry! Okay?" Lizzie was starting to get angry.  
  
"Do NOT! Use that tone of voice with me!"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes.  
  
"You know, I was GOING to just let you off with a warning but now I think a month grounded will do you some good."  
  
"A MONTH?" Lizzie cried in disbelief. "Mom no! Look I'm sorry, but I just, I mean at least I was with Gordo right?"  
  
Mrs. McGuire didn't say anything.  
  
"I know I should have called it's just that I didn't have money, and I was glad to be talking to Gordo again..."  
  
"So your fight is over?" Jo looked surprised. "That didn't last long."  
  
"Well..." Lizzie knew how to play the game, "Your advice helped, quite a lot!"  
  
"Oh, did it really?"  
  
Please don't let her remember that she didn't give me any advice, Lizzie prayed silently.  
  
"Well, Lizzie...maybe only for next weekend, that's your punishment. Now get upstairs." Jo ended finally.  
  
"Jo...you didn't let me get a word in." Sam said, as he followed his wife in the kitchen.  
  
"Be quiet Sam." She replied in her normal aggressive manner.  
  
"That's crap!" Matt said, approaching his sister. "How is that I get a month of grounding, AND trash duty, and you just lose the weekend?"  
  
"You're just not very good at the game, slick." Lizzie answered.  
  
"Wait, I'm the one who's supposed to be the weasel. Don't be stealing my lime-light."  
  
Lizzie smiled bitterly, "And why should I do anything to help you?"  
  
"Well ever since I dumped a big bucket of chili on that evil Kate's head, you've owed me big." He replied.  
  
"Ha! That was last year, this is now, be extra sweet to me, and maybe I'll teach you a couple of trick, huh?" She then placed a hand on his spiky head and mussed up his hair, before turning on her heel and marching up the stairs.  
  
"Perfect ending to a perfect day." She said aloud as she closed the door to her room behind her. "Absolutely perfect."  
  
--  
  
The following morning Lizzie caught the bus with Gordo as usual, at their normal bus stop. As they took their places on the old brown pleather double seats, she retold the events of the night before.  
  
"You know, you should really take the attitude with Kate that you take with Matt."  
  
"But Kate's a lot meaner then Matt. And bigger and has a more effect on my social status."  
  
"But Lizzie WHY does that matter? I'm the guy you're dating, so it's not like you have to be waiting for Ethan anymore, and everybody around school seems to like you, Kate's only popular because she treats people like crap. But it's not like she's Big Brother, she doesn't control you life."  
  
"Little Brother." Lizzie corrected him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Matt's my little brother."  
  
Gordo looked at her like she was crazy.  
  
"What? He's my little bother!"  
  
"No, Lizzie BIG Brother."  
  
"No, he's my Little brother!" She felt extremely confused.  
  
"No, Lizzie..." He trailed off suddenly, and grabbed his book bag. He began digging, a moment later Gordo wrenched out a paper-back novel, he handed it to her.  
  
"1984, by George Orwell." She read. "Wait, 1984, that's was a long time ago..."  
  
"Almost 20 years," he said, "yeah, but it's a great book, and it talks about these people who stand up to the dictator of their country."  
  
"Sorry Gordo, I'm a Romance novel girl."  
  
"This has Romance, just read it."  
  
"Fine." She rolled her eyes and shoved it her pack, sort of annoyed. That was Gordo, read until you burst.  
  
--  
  
A few weeks later:  
  
Lizzie reached into her locker, "Oh, where is it!" she muttered. Her favorite Bic was buried under a pile of papers.  
  
"You should probably clean that thing out." Gordo suggested. Just then a mass of papers flew out and a book came down smacking her on the head. "You okay?" Gordo cried.  
  
"Yeah...just help me up, will ya?" He gave her his hand, lifting her from the tired, crumbly tile floor.  
  
"Well hello, Lose-ie.  
  
Lizzie scowled. "Good morning Kate." She said curtly.  
  
"Have fun on the floor?" Kate asked.  
  
Lizzie glared.  
  
"It's true you know, that this school is being invaded by the dork population. Look ladies," she said to the other cheerleaders standing behind her, "Here's one of the freaks in its natural habitat. Mr. Gor- dork."  
  
Well that was it for Lizzie. Make fun of her, fine, but don't pick on Gordo.  
  
"You know what Kate? You're right, we are Freaks."  
  
Kate smiled.  
  
"But someday, we just may grow out of that. But you, YOU WILL NEVER STOP BEING A JERK! C'mon Gordo."  
  
Lizzie grabbed her dropped book and papers, and with her free hand, took Gordo's and pulled him down the hall leaving 7 stunned cheerleaders behind.  
  
"Lizzie!" Gordo cried. "That was amazing!"  
  
She swelled with pride. "Thanks. I stole that line though, it's from The Princess Diaries."  
  
"Oh yeah...Anne Hathaway..." a dreamy expression crossed his face.  
  
Lizzie punched him in the stomach. "Cute Gordo, real cute."  
  
"You've been reading that book though, haven't you?"  
  
She nodded. "It's not half bad. Uh, Gordo, secrets still planned for tonight?"  
  
"You bet." He smiled.  
  
"Good, I'll see you after gym!" she rushed down the hallway, and disappeared into the girls locker room.  
  
"You know, she's something." He murmured. "Something amazing."  
  
--  
  
"Hey, I'm home." Gordo plunked his books down on a chair. "Anybody home?"  
  
Mrs. Gordon appeared in the kitchen a second later, her husband following her.  
  
"How was your day guys? Any new, fun and exciting psychologist files to read today?"  
  
"David we told you stay out of those." Hannah said briskly, putting a kettle on the stove for some hot tea.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but hey, they're very insightful, I need that real, raw human emotion for my films."  
  
"You should be using those case files on concentrating when you're a psychologist. Or you could go all the way, get your Doctorate and be physiatrist." Daniel said, taking a sip of his coffee.  
  
"Nah, that's okay, I don't want to listen to people whine all day."  
  
"You just want to listen to actors whine." Daniel shook his head.  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes; his father would never understand his obsession with films and directing.  
  
"Oh, David," Hannah turned to her son, "This Friday the Feldermans are coming over."  
  
"Who are the Feldermans?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Oh you know," Hannah began, "They go to the synagogue with us, their daughter Sarah is in your Torah study class."  
  
"Oh." He began racking his brain for a picture of Sarah. "Wait is she sort of medium height with dark brown hair and large dark eyes?" he asked.  
  
"Yes that would be her. I reckon that there are about a million Sarah's." Mr. Gordon began sifting through the newspaper.  
  
"Yeah, actually that's true. Why are the coming over?"  
  
"For dinner."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"They're very nice people David, I thought we should get to know them a little better."  
  
"But I can't, I have..." Friday, he had a date with Lizzie! It was gonna be a real date too. With dinner and a candlelight, at a really nice restaurant. He had reservations! This wasn't going to be a walk around the mall, or getting an ice cream cone at the Meadows, this was a big deal.  
  
"You have a what?"  
  
"Just a thing."  
  
"What kind of thing?"  
  
"A thing with Lizzie, we wanted to go get something to eat."  
  
"Well can't that wait?" Hannah asked.  
  
"No, because I got reservations La Petit Café."  
  
"Reservations?" asked Mrs. Gordon, knowingly.  
  
"Yeah, she really wanted to go."  
  
"Who's paying?" said Daniel.  
  
"Uh...we're going dutch." That was a total lie of course, but he couldn't say he was paying.  
  
"Well call and see if you can arrange if Saturday. Because we're not switching on the Feldermans."  
  
Gordo sighed, and hurried up the stairs to his room. "I hoped to hell that they'll switch me."  
  
--  
  
"Wait why Saturday?" Lizzie asked over the phone, as she blew on her nails trying to get them to dry.  
  
"Because my parents scheduled some dinner with their friends, and I have to go. I'm sorry Liz, I can't do a thing about it."  
  
"It's okay," she replied thoughtfully, "Just as long as the reservations still held for Saturday, I'm game."  
  
"Dress nice, huh?" he said with a chuckle, he knew she'd look good in a pair of sweat pants.  
  
"I will, I got a new dress the other day."  
  
"Okay, great, well I have to run, I need to help clean. More joy!"  
  
She laughed. "All right. Bye Gordo."  
  
"Bye Lizzie." He hung, thinking about how much he absolutely well, loved her. He wasn't sure if he could use that word, because love was serious. But they'd known each forever, he'd always loved her. Now she just loved him back.  
  
--  
  
Well coming up the DINNER!!! With Miss Sarah Felderman! And the DATE, yeah I know you're so excited right?  
  
This was sort of a pull it all in chapter I guess. Review if you'd like, they always make me happy! Sides like all of my friends are coming over tonight, and I want to show them how amazing you people think I am. Haha...yay!  
  
~J Fo 


	6. Hamlet, Irony and Matchmaking

READ THIS BEFORE YOU CONTINUE!!!  
  
Hey y'all *cringes*  
  
I actually hate that slang word...but I'm in a super good mood today so...  
  
Okay...Well let's see first order of business...  
  
No I didn't know that 1984 is a favorite book of Adam's...I just happen to be reading it for my Lit class...though I haven't finished yet...oops. That was totally coincidental.  
  
And yes the wiggling the fingers...I like memorize the things I read and watch. (Does anybody want to hear me repeat all of Lilo and Stitch? *those in the thread back away* Or not...) My friends say it's my one and only true gift from God.  
  
Thanks for the reviews...and there was somebody who said about Gordo not wanting to be matched with Sarah...oh jeez I have the most obvious plot line don't I?  
  
*cracks up*  
  
Oh JEEZ I'm seriously beginning to lose it. Well because I hate keeping you guys waiting and I know the last chapter sucked majorly (reason why my review number was down to like...nil) This one will be better...more sappy, happy, fluffy romance.  
  
I'm working on another story too, more g/l...FUN, FUN!!! Tee heee..*COUGH*  
  
Okay one more thing, Gordo's parent's are named Howard and Roberta. Well that sure confuses me, because the last time I checked NEITHER one of them were Jewish/Hebrew names. And with a middle name like Zephyr, you'd think they'd have names like "Adam, Simon, or Hannah, Ruth" But whatever. So I'm sticking with Daniel and Hannah.  
  
Disclaimer: Lizzie McGuire does not belong to the J~Fo...it in fact belongs to those at Disney Studios and Mr. Stan Rogow and company. Sarah Felderman and her parents though are proudly owned by the J~Fo...and are currently not for sale. Thank you!  
  
--  
  
Hamlet, Irony and the Matchmakers  
  
She dialed the numbers cautiously, even if she did manage to get through, who's to say that she would even have to time to listen?  
  
She slammed the phone back down.  
  
"OH HELL!" She shouted. Hadn't she sworn, absolutely sworn that she would call ONCE A WEEK?? Her hands were shaking; she was the most god-awful pathetic excuse for a friend. They had spoken once, ONCE, only that one time a week after the move. A week after being stranded in the middle of a big city, with hundreds of people around her, talking so fast she couldn't get a breath in.  
  
But that's when the phone rang.  
  
"Hola!" she said quickly, trying to hide her irritancy.  
  
"Um...sorry...I'm a French girl." A voice replied, a warm voice, a familiar voice, an AMERICAN VOICE.  
  
"LIZZIE?"  
  
"Hey Miranda." Lizzie replied.  
  
"OH MY GOD!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!!!"  
  
"Miranda, chill you're yelling." Lizzie started to giggle.  
  
"You, you just have no idea how nice it is to have a conversation with someone in ENGLISH."  
  
Lizzie started to laugh. "Mexico that bad, eh?"  
  
"BAD??? BAD???!!! YOU CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW MUCH IT SUCKS!!"  
  
"Well somebody needs to vent, so spill. What's your school like, what are your teacher's like? Got any new amigos? Maybe a bueno boyfriend?"  
  
"Lizzie, whatever you do, don't go anywhere near a place that speaks Spanish...your accent is terrible."  
  
She smiled, "I know..."  
  
"So as an answer to your question, did you ever notice the little thing on the bottom of your screen, "SAP"?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Well we get "SAP" Transmitted in good 'ol El Espaniol. Did you have ANY idea what it's like to watch DUBBED episodes of FRIENDS?"  
  
"Can't say that I'd know..."  
  
"Yeah, well you know how Ross sounds retarded in English?"  
  
"Well yes..."  
  
"Okay multiply that by like a thousand!"  
  
"Ewwwww!" Lizzie squealed.  
  
"And hearing Joey say '?Que Pasa?' is nothing like 'How you doing?'"  
  
Lizzie giggled.  
  
"So, how are you?" Miranda said suddenly switching subjects.  
  
"Fine." She paused. Hadn't she called to ask her what she was supposed to do? I mean she was caught in what seemed like the worst, most confusing situation. Lizzie bit her lower lip, to tell or not to tell, that was the question.  
  
"Fine!!! I haven't seen you in what? 3 months and all you can say is 'FINE'!" Miranda broke off then into a long ramble of Spanish.  
  
Lizzie started laughing despite herself on the other end. She had to tell Miranda, she was after all her very best friend.  
  
"Ok!" she cried, "I'll tell you. Good God you sound like Ricky Ricardo!"  
  
Miranda stopped shouting. "Desi Arnez was from CUBA, Lizzie, not Mexico."  
  
"Cuba, Mexico, you're all Spanish right?"  
  
She heard Miranda sigh loudly.  
  
"Sorry...I'm from Europe."  
  
"Lizzie, there is a Spanish speaking country in Europe, it's called Spain."  
  
"Miranda I'm from Northern Europe, France, Ireland...Germany! Now would you please STOP?? I get enough Spanish American Histoire in School."  
  
"Histoire?..."  
  
"History, but that isn't the point! Let's continue okay?"  
  
"Right, so what's going on up there?"  
  
She breathed in deeply. "Well..."  
  
"What?" Miranda cried.  
  
"Oh, you're just not going to believe it..." she trailed off.  
  
"DID KATE DIE?" Miranda shouted excitedly.  
  
"NO! Please, I wish." Lizzie was feeling exasperated five minutes into their conversation.  
  
"Okay...well then...ETHAN ASKED YOU OUT???"  
  
"Miranda who is telling this story, ME OR YOU???" she demanded.  
  
"Sorry...I'm done."  
  
Lizzie breathed in, and then breathed out slightly. "Someone did ask me out." She said softly.  
  
"Ooooh! Who?"  
  
"Well...he's really nice. Real smart too, and cute...and we're really very happy."  
  
"WHO IS IT?" Lizzie nearly lost her hearing.  
  
"Miranda, this is hard..."  
  
"Oh, my God...Don't even say, are you going out with..." she gulped, "Not...TUDGEMAN?"  
  
"EWWWW NO!!! Miranda what do you take me for? An idiot???" Lizzie was being to get disgusted.  
  
"Well...he's nice...in a weird way, and he's smart...but you know he could be cute...if he wore a clean shirt."  
  
"Umm...right... Look Miranda I need to go, my Mom's calling for dinner."  
  
"Don't you dare hang up the phone!" Miranda said warningly. "It is NO where near dinner, so don't even try that! Who is it?"  
  
Lizzie paused again...  
  
"McGUIRE!!"  
  
"OKAY! Fine...It's...It's..."  
  
"Lizzie..."  
  
"Gordo."  
  
There was a silence on the other end, dead silence.  
  
Miranda Sanchez couldn't move...did she just hear correctly? Did she hear what Lizzie said, was there static?  
  
"Miranda?" she whispered.  
  
The silence broke by Miranda screaming. She had dropped the cordless purple phone on the floor of her bedroom and was now doing cartwheels on her red carpet floor.  
  
"MIRANDA???" Lizzie hollered into the receiver, she could hear her friend shouting in Spanish, good Spanish or bad she had no idea, because she didn't know a thing about the language. "MIRANDA???!!!!" But Miranda had obviously given up on the conversation, and with a sigh Lizzie hung up the phone.  
  
"Thank God I took French."  
  
--  
  
A half an hour later Miranda Sanchez had managed to call Elizabeth McGuire and talk to her friend like a normal ENGLISH speaking person. Rather than a hyper Mexican jumping bean.  
  
As it turned out, Miranda had secretly wished that her two best friends would get together. "YOU WERE MEANT TO BE!!" She kept saying, over and over till Lizzie was on the floor in stitches.  
  
Ten minutes after Lizzie had hung up with the Screaming Spaniard the door bell rang downstairs.  
  
It was Gordo.  
  
"I thought you had a date with your parents tonight." Lizzie said as she closed the white oak door behind him.  
  
"That's not until later, and I didn't feel much like cleaning house." He replied with a shrug.  
  
"So...what do you want to do?" She asked looking him over.  
  
"I'm just in the mood to hang." He said quickly.  
  
And truthfully, so was she. "Sure, that sounds good. Um..." she glanced around, "Let's just go to my room, listen to some music...ya know, old stuff."  
  
Old stuff had become the term for things they had done before becoming 'boyfriend and girlfriend', it was in Lizzie's opinion the only way to make sure nothing screwed up their friendship.  
  
Lizzie's room was filled with soft shades of pinks and blues, and a few purples and greens. Her bedspread was a light sky blue, with a big old brass headboard and footboard.  
  
Gordo plopped down and Lizzie turned on her stereo.  
  
She shuffled through a few of her favorite burned CDs until she found a particular fave.  
  
~*~(LL Cool J)  
  
Baby, don't go... Baby, don't go...  
  
Baby, dont go... Baby, don't go...  
  
Baby, don't go... Baby, don't go...  
  
(Jennifer)  
  
Ooh... Yeah... Yeah... Yeah...  
  
(Jennifer)  
  
It's such a shame but I'm leaving  
  
Can't take the way you're mistreating me  
  
And it's crazy, but oh baby  
  
It don't matter, whatever  
  
Don't phase me  
  
(LL Cool J)  
  
I don't believe you wanna leave like this  
  
I don't believe I just had my last real kiss  
  
I do believe we'll laugh and reminisce  
  
Wait a minute, don't bounce baby,  
  
let's talk about this, man... ~*~  
  
Gordo covered his ears, "NOT RAP!!!"  
  
Lizzie began laughing. "Aw come on, don't you like J. Lo?"  
  
"Lizzie did you ever look at that woman's butt?"  
  
She gave him a "Duh" look.  
  
"Dang...I need some guy friends."  
  
"Yes you do!" Lizzie agreed. "Well how about..." A punk rock intro started up  
  
~*~Yeah!...here we go. ~*~  
  
"This is much better!" Said Gordo with approval as Good Charlottes "Anthem" blasted out of the speakers.  
  
She smiled as he mouthed along to the lyrics with a big happy grin on his face.  
  
It's a new day, but it all feels old  
  
It's a good life, that's what I'm told  
  
But everything, it all just feels the same  
  
At my high school, it felt more to me like a jail cell, a penitentiary  
  
My time spent there it only made me see  
  
That I don't ever wanna be like you  
  
I don't wanna do the things you do  
  
I'm never gonna hear the words you say  
  
And I don't ever wanna.  
  
I don't ever wanna be.you.  
  
Don't wanna be just like you  
  
What I'm saying is this is the anthem  
  
throw all your hands up  
  
you.don't wanna be you  
  
Go to college, a university, get a real job  
  
That's what they said to me  
  
But I could never live the way they want  
  
I'm gonna get by and just do my time  
  
Out of step while they all get in line  
  
I'm just a minor threat, so pay no mind  
  
Do you really want to be like them,  
  
Do you really wanna be another trend,  
  
Do you wanna be part of that crowd  
  
Cause I don't ever wanna.  
  
I don't ever want to be you.  
  
Don't wanna be just like you  
  
What I'm saying is.this is the anthem  
  
Throw all your hands up.you.  
  
Don't wanna be you. ~*~  
  
"This is song is so you!" she cried. Gordo could have cared less about what people thought, the biggest thing she admired about it him.  
  
~*~(Shake it once, that's fine, shake it twice that's okay.  
  
shake it 3 times your playing with yourself again.)  
  
You.  
  
Don't wanna be just like you,  
  
What I'm saying is..this is the anthem  
  
Throw all your hands up  
  
Y'll got the feeling, sing if you're with me  
  
You.don't wanna be just like you (just like you)  
  
This is the anthem, throw all your hands up  
  
Y'll got the feeling, sing if your with me  
  
Another loser anthem (whoa)  
  
"Okay...new song..." He insisted as it ended.  
  
"How about..." she perused her choices.  
  
~*~An old man turned ninety-eight  
  
He won the lottery and died the next day  
  
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay  
  
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late  
  
Isn't it ironic ... don't you think  
  
It's like rain on your wedding day  
  
It's a free ride when you've already paid  
  
It's the good advice that you just didn't take  
  
Who would've thought ... it figures ~*~  
  
"You know..." he began to chuckle, "This is a lot like us."  
  
"What Ironic?" she asked glancing over at him.  
  
"Yeah. I mean here we were, having each other right there forever, and yet, we chose to ignore it."  
  
She sat down next to him and brushed a strand or blonde hair out of her light eyes. "Maybe that's good though. We can spend more time making up for all the minutes we missed."  
  
He smiled. "Yeah." He put an arm around her shoulder and she fell backwards on the bed, looking right into his blue eyes.  
  
~*~Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly  
  
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids good-bye  
  
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight  
  
And as the plane crashed down he thought  
  
'Well isn't this nice...'  
  
And isn't it ironic ... don't you think  
  
It's like rain on your wedding day  
  
It's a free ride when you've already paid  
  
It's the good advice that you just didn't take  
  
Who would've thought ... it figures~*~  
  
"You're so beautiful..." he whispered looking at her.  
  
She couldn't talk. This was just too perfect.  
  
~*~Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you  
  
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right  
  
And life has a funny way of helping you out when  
  
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up  
  
In your face ~*~  
  
"But what if..." but her words were cut off as his lips brushed hers.  
  
~*~It's a traffic jam when you're already late  
  
It's a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break  
  
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife  
  
It's meeting the man of my dreams  
  
And then meeting his beautiful wife  
  
And isn't it ironic... don't you think  
  
A little too ironic... and yeah I really do think...  
  
It's like rain on your wedding day  
  
It's a free ride when you've already paid  
  
It's the good advice that you just didn't take  
  
Who would've thought ... it figures~*~  
  
He kissed her for a long time, his hand running though her soft blonde hair and she had suddenly forgotten just what she wanted to say. But it didn't matter now...  
  
This was right, more Ironic than she would have liked...but completely perfect.  
  
~*~Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you  
  
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out  
  
Helping you out ~*~  
  
--  
  
An hour later Gordo entered through the front door of his house. He'd a nice time at Lizzie, they didn't kiss forever, because after a while they started laughing when Shania Twain's "I'm Gonna Getcha Good" came on.  
  
He was humming under his breath as he walked into the spacious kitchen.  
  
"Don't wantcha for the weekend-  
  
Dont wantcha for a night  
  
I'm only interested if I can  
  
have you for life- yeah  
  
I know I sound serious-  
  
and baby I am  
  
You're a fine piece of real estate,  
  
and I'm gonna get me some land..."  
  
"Someone is in a happy mood." Remarked his mother warmly.  
  
"Huh?" He was spacing.  
  
"You're singing David, you never sing."  
  
"Yeah, well it's just a really good song." That song was now permanently written in his brain.  
  
"You don't listen to country." Said his father, who was straightening a picture on the wall.  
  
"Oh, yeah well..."  
  
"Oh Daniel they probably played at the Digital Bean while he was eating."  
  
Ooop, yeah, he had told him that's where he was going. "Yeah that's it."  
  
"David do me a favor, while the Felderman's are here, how about saying 'yes' for a change? Hmmm? Now go upstairs and change." His mother commanded, as she stirred a pot on the stove.  
  
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He demanded looking down at his mismatched plaid and stripes.  
  
"I can't believe you asked that." Hannah shook here head. "Now go put on kakis and a nice clean shirt."  
  
"I always wear clean shirts." He cried incredulously.  
  
"Well then what's that stain on your shirt?" Hannah pointed to a spot on the navy shirt he was wearing under his the plaid over one.  
  
"That's a faded decal!"  
  
"Sure..." Hannah answered in an unconvincing voice.  
  
He rolled his eyes, how many more years till college?  
  
--  
  
Ding-dong!  
  
"I got it!" he shouted trampling down the stairs. It was half-an-hour after the clean clothes incident and he looked fresh and clean, and a lot like a jock. He sighed, his cargo kakis where just not him At least he'd kept on his red high tops. His mother would flip, but he didn't care.  
  
Yanking upon the front door, he found three people on his door-step.  
  
"Hello there, you most be Dauvid." It was Mr. Felderman, and he had a strong Polish accent.  
  
"Why yes I am, welcome Mr. Felderman."  
  
Simon Felderman entered the house, his short and pretty brunette wife, Ruth was right behind him, followed by a young girl of about fifteen. She had curly brown hair, and large, dark, wide eyes; Sarah.  
  
"Hi." She smiled warmly.  
  
He felt extraordinarily funny. Something wasn't quite right, he felt...well...embarrassed.  
  
"Ruth!" cried Hannah, as she emerged from the kitchen, an apron covered in a daffodil print still wrapped around her thin waste.  
  
"Hello, hello!" she greeted Mrs. Gordon with a hug and warm smile.  
  
"Come into the kitchen; DANIEL THEY'RE HERE!!; Would you like anything to drink?"  
  
Gordo didn't follow the pack of guests and neither did Sarah.  
  
"Could I talk to you, privately, for a second?" She asked very politely.  
  
"Uh...yeah-sure." He opened the front door for her, and followed her out into the soft, cool May evening.  
  
"I'm not sure if you know or not..." she began.  
  
He noticed then that she was wearing a very odd dress. It was a light green flower print, with a high neckline and quarter length sleeves, and the dress went below her knees. It donned on him that the Felderman's weren't nice about letting her wear whatever she chose, and it had to cover all the essentials.  
  
His mind slipped back into focus as she said, "Do you know the reason why I'm here tonight David?"  
  
"I wish I knew, my parents totally sprung this on me. And call me Gordo, everybody does." He answered.  
  
"Well, they're trying to put us together." She answered quickly.  
  
"What do you mean 'Put us together'?" He looked at her quizzically.  
  
"They figure that maybe we'll hit if off and end up getting married or something."  
  
"THEY WHAT?" This was almost too much. "How could they?"  
  
"Listen, don't get upset, it'll be okay, really."  
  
"No..." Gordo began.  
  
"Really think about it, we can just play along, and 'pretend'."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Look, Gordo, I don't want you to be offended, but you seem very nice, I don't think this would ever work..."  
  
"Excuse me? Sarah I didn't even consider making you the love of my life or anything..."  
  
"Good, because I already have one." She answered.  
  
"You have a boyfriend?"  
  
"Yeah, his name is Greg; we've been dating since September. I never told my parents though. Do you have a girlfriend?"  
  
"Wait, why didn't you tell your parents?"  
  
"Because he's not Jewish."  
  
Gordo started laughing hysterically.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
After he finally had calmed himself down he said, "My family is the same exact way! I've been dating my best friend for a little while now."  
  
"You're best friend?"  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Alright, well I won't ask."  
  
"So...what do you suggest we do?" he asked.  
  
"Well I think we can be good friends."  
  
"Yeah, truly we have a lot in common I think."  
  
"So we'll just hang out all the time."  
  
"And we can make other parents think that we really like each other."  
  
"Oooh, that's perfect!" she said excitedly.  
  
So they walked around the Gordon's house about twenty times discussing just how they were going to finesse this.  
  
"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch. Matchmaker, matchmaker, look through your book And make me a perfect match." She sang loudly.  
  
He started to laugh, and joined in with her (because his voice wasn't really that bad)  
  
"Matchmaker, matchmaker, I'll bring the veil. You bring the groom, slender and pale. Bring me a ring, for I'm longing to be The envy of all I see."  
  
They were in hysterics by the time Mrs. Gordon opened the back window and yelled loudly for dinner.  
  
So they went inside, but they had a secret, and Gordo was glad he had somebody to share it with.  
  
--  
  
Well there you go, I still have to do the date he has with Lizzie but that isn't until next week's episode!  
  
I love reviews, but you don't have to, (really) and constructive criticism people!! I want some.  
  
And one fave, if you do leave a review can you give me your e-mail (if that won't be invading your privacy) I should send back a message to everybody who sends one and thank them.  
  
Thanks all!!  
  
~The J~Fo 


	7. Red, White and Yellow?

Whooo, I haven't written in so long! I'm sorry guys! I've been so busy.  
  
First I had Drama (Yay I played a 10 year old!)  
  
Plus I had Orchestra (Freshman in the house! WOOOO WOOO! I'M SOOO GOOD! Hahaha! Everybody else except for a lazy whiner, who bitched her way in, was an upper class flute! Go Autumn and Cara! They should have picked Des instead of a stupid someone whom I've already said wormed her way in)  
  
So anyway now I have plenty of time (except for my Medieval Research Paper stupid Sylbaugh!)  
  
So anywho, I'm going to continue!  
  
Disclaimer: Nope Don't own Lizzie, nor do I own "Big Yellow Taxi" that belongs to the Counting Crows and Miss Vannessa Carlton, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" belongs to Queen  
  
Chapter 7 Red, White and-Yellow?  
  
"And it's a beautiful Saturday Morning here on Power 99.1! 8:15, quarter after eight, and I hope everybody's having a good day so far, and now here's 'Big Yellow Taxi' by the Counting Crows with Vanessa Carlton..."  
  
~*~They paved paradise and put up a parking lot  
  
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot  
  
Don't it always seem to go  
  
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone  
  
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot~*~  
  
Lizzie hummed merrily as she made up her bed with the flowery sheets.  
  
~*~Ooooh, bop bop bop  
  
Ooooh, bop bop bop~*~  
  
"Yes," she said, very quietly to no one but herself, "Today's the day...la, la, la, la, la!"  
  
She bounced over to her white door and swung it open, only to find her mother, a hand raised in a fist as if she was about to knock.  
  
"Oh, morning Mom!" she cried, her blonde hair flying around her head as she hurried past Jo, sliding on her white socks over the gleaming wooden floor.  
  
"Someone is in a very good mood today." Jo McGuire remarked casually, as she watched her daughter go into the bathroom.  
  
"It's a good day!" Lizzie replied with a large white smile, closing the door.  
  
Just as the bathroom door closed, Sam entered tying his tie around his striped blue and white collar.  
  
"Sam," said Jo, still watching the bathroom door.  
  
"Yes, dear?"  
  
"Sam, do you know what's wrong with Lizzie?"  
  
"Jo, I barely understand you, let alone a mood-swingy, hormone filled 15- year-old girl." He shook his head, "She'll come to you, and she always does." He sighed and started heading downstairs, but Jo kept watching the door.  
  
"I'll get to the bottom of this Elizabeth Brooke McGuire, I always do..."  
  
--  
  
~*~Is this the real life, is this just fantasy  
  
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality  
  
Open your eyes , look up to the skies and see  
  
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy  
  
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low  
  
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me  
  
...to me~*~  
  
Gordo sung loudly to his stereo...he loved Queen. Today was the day, and he couldn't have been more excited. Today WAS THE DAY!  
  
Suddenly he could hear his favorite part coming on; he dashed over and turned up the volume.  
  
Gordo danced around his room singing loudly, snatching stuff out of his closet to possibly wear when the door flung open, (though he didn't notice) and his parents looked in.  
  
~*~I see a little silhouetto of a man,  
  
Scaramouche, scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?  
  
Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening me!  
  
Galileo (Galileo)  
  
Galileo (Galileo)  
  
Galileo figaro (Magnificoz) But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me,  
  
He's just a poor boy from a poor family ,  
  
Spare him his life from this monstrosity,  
  
Easy come easy go, will you let me go,  
  
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go, let him go,  
  
Bismillah! We will not let you go, let him go,  
  
Bismillah! We will not let you go, let me go,  
  
Will not let you go, let me go! Will not let you go let me go  
  
No, no, no, no, no, no, no  
  
Mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go  
  
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me~*~  
  
He began playing an electric air guitar, sinking to his knees in a magnificent solo.  
  
~*~So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?  
  
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?  
  
Oh baby, can't do this to me baby!  
  
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right out of here,  
  
Nothing really matters, anyone can see,  
  
Nothing really matters, nothing really matters to me,  
  
Any way the wind blows....~*~  
  
He heard clapping behind him, and jumped up. His parents were standing next to each other, smiling.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Morning, David. Sleep well?" Hannah asked.  
  
"Uh...yeah."  
  
"Good son, glad to hear it. Breakfast is downstairs, pancakes and Belgian waffles."  
  
Then they left, not another word, just closing the door behind them.  
  
Gordo stared blankly ahead for a couple of seconds, wow, parents were so weird.  
  
Out in the hallway, Hannah and Daniel exchanged glances.  
  
Heading down the stairs they waited until they were out of ear shot of their son, and immediately Hannah exploded,  
  
"DO YOU REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?" She cried, putting her hands on her husband's shoulders.  
  
"I know, they've only met once and David is already crazy for Sarah!!"  
  
"What a perfect plan!" Hannah giggled. "I have the greatest husband; I can't believe you came up with that."  
  
He smiled jauntily and said, "I always have good ideas..."  
  
"Hmm...but you know something, right now I have one that's better than any of yours." And she leaned in and kissed him.  
  
A few seconds later after she let go, he smiled and said, "Yep, better then mine..."  
  
--  
  
"Uh, Mom?" Lizzie came downstairs at about 5:30 that evening.  
  
Jo looked up, she was leaning over the island clipping coupons. "Hey sweetie, what's up?"  
  
"Well tonight I've got plans with Gordo, so I won't need dinner."  
  
"Oh, where are you two going?" Jo asked.  
  
"La Petite Café. It just opened over at Sweet Rose Avenue, downtown."  
  
"Hell Lizzie I know where that is, your father has been trying to get reservations for weeks! Why are you and Gordo going?"  
  
"For French class, Madam Delacour wanted us to get a real taste of French food." Lizzie replied calmly. It was the plan she and Gordo had devised. No way would their parents buy 'We just wanted a change from the Digital Bean.'  
  
"Yes, but 'La Petite Café'? Your French teacher TOLD you to go there?"  
  
"Oh, no, no." Lizzie said, "She just said that if we ever got the chance, try some real French Cuisine, and so we thought we might as well get the best." Whew, nice save McGuire!  
  
"Oh, well okay. Are you going to wear your new light blue sundress?"  
  
Lizzie nodded.  
  
"What time are you leaving?"  
  
"Around six." She answered.  
  
"Well, have fun." Jo answered and went back to coupon clipping.  
  
Lizzie sighed, and hurried out of the room, "Whew...thank God parents are gullible..."  
  
--  
  
Lizzie observed herself in the long full length mirror, the long reflection casting back looked lovely. The dress she wore was light blue that ended right above the knees. It had a low curved neckline which was bunched in a peasant manner at the breast. It was sleeveless, but the thin spaghetti straps at the top had light blue ruffles on them that draped only slightly over her shoulder. The print was of creamy flowers and light green leaves. It fit her form perfectly, showing off her thin waste and flat tummy. Her long legs ended in a pair of half-inch plastic heels (she didn't want to be taller than him), which were clear, and looked like glass. The strap over her ankles to keep them on was a light silver, and the strap over the toes was about a half inch wide and also of clear plastic. She'd pulled her blonde tresses into 9 very separate twists, falling into bouncy banana curls. At her throat was a silver chain, called 'sparkling silver' and a matching bracelet at her wrist. They had been gifts from Gordo at Christmas.  
  
Gordo and Lizzie had spent a lot of time together, and she was slowly realizing this as she fingered the folds of her dress. But it was funny, they had gone for walks, sat and talked, but they'd only done it a couple of times. They'd never gone out on a REAL date.  
  
And it was freaking her out.  
  
What was she supposed to do with Gordo? Just sit and talk? What if she ate too much garlic, and her breath stunk? Should she order a lot of food? Or a little? What if she started acting strangely? What if he did? Would he kiss her good-night? Or would they make-out? She didn't really want to do that. She loved Gordo and all...but there were other things besides kissing. And what if the whole thing was a total disaster and they ended up getting in a big fight and never talked to each other again?  
  
A soft knock on the door startled the gaze she was keeping with her reflection in glass, as well as her thoughts.  
  
The door opened, very slowly, and in walked Matt.  
  
"Get out Squirt!" Lizzie hollered in disgust.  
  
"No, wait, I just wanted to come in and talk to you." He said, and she had to admit, he looked sort of miserable.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked, "Matt-is something wrong?"  
  
"It's Melina." He answered softly.  
  
Lizzie glanced at the clock by her bed. It was 5:30, she still had some time before Gordo would get there.  
  
"What's wrong?" she questioned his tired face; she sat down on the edge of her bed, and patted the space next to it. "Come on, come sit."  
  
Matt sat down dejectedly.  
  
"Wow, this is really serious, you haven't thrown one insult yet." Lizzie said jokingly, but Matt didn't move. "What is it?"  
  
"Well, now that we're in Middle School..." he began slowly.  
  
"Uh-huh?" Lizzie urged him on.  
  
"There's dances and stuff."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"And I asked Melina to the dance next Friday when we went bike riding today, and..."  
  
"And...?" But then it hit Lizzie, "Oh, no, Matt, did she turn you down?"  
  
"No, that would have been a lot easier." He replied.  
  
"So wait she said yes?" Lizzie felt lost.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And...the reason you're unhappy.is?"  
  
"I don't know what to do!" he cried, hiding his small face in his hands.  
  
"What do you mean you don't know what to do?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I mean, do I dance with her? And if I do, what if I step on her toes? What if I act weird? What if she thinks I'm a dork? What if I trip? What if my breath stinks? What if I spill something on myself? What if I sneeze on her, or throw up? Do I get her flowers? If so, a corsage or a rose? Does she like roses? Or would she prefer daisies? Do I HAVE TO KISS HER?? And what if we get into a fight and never talked to each other again?" he cried exasperatedly.  
  
"Matt! Calm down! It's Melina! You guys have been best friends for a long time..." she stopped talking suddenly and realized what she was saying, Lizzie smiled softly and put an arm around her brother's shoulder. "Look, tell Melina that you want to have a really good time at the Dance, but you don't want it to ruin your friendship. Then ask her, what's your favorite flower? And no you don't have to kiss her, give it some time. You're only twelve. If anything, complement her, A LOT. Say that she looks nice, or even smells nice. Girls like compliments."  
  
"I guess I was being sort of crazy wasn't I?" He asked looking up at her.  
  
"Yes, but that's normal, everyone freaks out about dating. And I should know, I've been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt."  
  
"Thanks, sis. I owe you one."  
  
"Yeah ya do. But hey, I'm your big sister, I should watch out for you." She kissed Matt's forehead softly, and smiled, "Now get lost before I beat you to a pulp! Gordo's going to be here in..." she checked her clock, "15 minutes, and I didn't put on my make-up yet."  
  
Matt got up off the bed and headed towards the door, but stopped and turned around, he watched his sister put a little blush on her cheeks, a little liner around her hazel eyes, a soft brown on her eye-lids, and a some mascara. It was funny, she was getting awfully dressed up, and she looked like she was going out with more than just Gordo.  
  
"Lizzie? Why such nice stuff?" he asked.  
  
Lizzie whirled around, "I'm going out for French food with Gordo."  
  
"Hmmmm. Okay,"  
  
"What's 'Hmmmm, okay' Matt?" she asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Nothing." He answered, shuffling out of her room. "Sisters." He muttered.  
  
"Brothers." She muttered.  
  
--  
  
Gordo breathed deeply, he was standing before the McGuire's porch door, dressed in a nice suit that he'd worn to his cousin Miriam's Bat Mitzvah, behind him on the street was a yellow taxi cab that he called to take him and Lizzie to dinner. No, WAY was he going to have his parents drive them. Sighing he rung the door bell, and took another deep breath. Why was he so nervous? This was Lizzie, his best friend, the girl he'd known since child hood, not to mention the girl he loved. The one person who truly understood, the only person that could make him smi-  
  
The door opened, and there she was. Dressed in a pretty blue sundress, her hair done, carrying a little cream clutch purse. His breath caught in the back of his throat, this was why he was so nervous. She looked wonderful, and she was HIS girlfriend. The universe HAD to be off kilter.  
  
"Hi." She said softly.  
  
"Hi." He replied. "You-You, you look-you look beautiful." He stammered.  
  
"Thanks. You-you look good too, Gordo." She replied, trying to push down all the funny butterflies in her stomach. They'd done stuff before, WHY WAS THIS DIFFERENT??  
  
"Uh-the, cab, we can't keep the cabbie waiting." He said quickly.  
  
"Right," she nodded, and turned back into the house, "MOM! DAD!" she hollered, "I'M LEAVING!"  
  
Then she closed the door before they could give her a curfew.  
  
"So did the plan go smoothly?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah, it did. My Mom totally bought it."  
  
--  
  
"I so did not buy that!" Jo McGuire laughed into the telephone.  
  
"When Gordo told me," Hannah chuckled, "I thought he was joking."  
  
"So, where do you think they REALLY went?" Jo asked as she spooned herself some Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  
  
"To an 'R' rated movie, or a rave." Hannah replied exasperatedly, as she swallowed down a bite of Ben and Jerry's Cookie's and Cream.  
  
Jo laughed. "We are such horrible parents."  
  
"I know. You'd think that we keep a steadier hand on them but you know, you want to trust them, and you don't want to question them, because you remember how we hated it when OUR parents pestered us." Hannah sighed.  
  
"Think we should go check on them?" Jo asked.  
  
"No because if they are really there, and they find out we're spying on them, they'll hate us forever." Hannah answered in her 'I'm a psychologist and I've-seen-this-before' sort of voice.  
  
"So what, we wait until the cops break into the Rave or the people at the box office turn them down?" Jo licked a little ice cream off her finger.  
  
"Yeah." I guess.  
  
They sighed together, and swallowed another bite of Ben and Jerry's.  
  
"Kids."  
  
--  
  
"And 'ere is your menu Mademoiselle." The waiter laid a menu before Lizzie, and then one before Gordo. Then excused himself with a bow.  
  
Lizzie perused her menu thoughtfully, thankfully it wasn't in French.  
  
"What are you going to have?" Gordo asked.  
  
She looked up, into his deep blue eyes, those honest, pure eyes and she caught her breath.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, no...no." she could feel her face fluster, and she buried her nose back in her menu.  
  
"So..." He began.  
  
"Huh? What?"  
  
"What are you going to order?" He asked again.  
  
"Oh!... yeah...I don't know yet."  
  
"The filet sounds good." He commented.  
  
"But it's awfully expensive." She said thoughtfully.  
  
"That's alright." Gordo answered.  
  
At that minute the waiter appeared.  
  
"Vous deziree?" he asked.  
  
"How do you like your steak Lizzie, Medium? Or Medium-Rare?"  
  
She laughed, "Medium-rare, thank you."  
  
--  
  
Twenty minutes later they were finishing their food. They'd eaten at least a half-a-dozen baguettes, and the filet's were positively mouth-watering.  
  
"So Matt fell off the swing..." she started laughing,  
  
"And right into the sandbox!" he finished. "I remember that. I remember a lot of stuff we did as kids."  
  
"Yeah, we were such good friends, and still are." She paused, and suddenly became rather concerned with a wrinkle in the tablecloth. "Thank you." Lizzie said quickly.  
  
"For what?" He looked at her.  
  
"For being there, you know when we were kids...and now."  
  
He smiled, that big white smile that made her heart flutter. "You know I wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
She nodded. "I know."  
  
--  
  
Soon afterwards dinner was finished, and they paid, leaving Francoise, their server a very nice tip.  
  
"What time is it?" Lizzie asked as they rose to leave.  
  
Gordo looked at his watch, "8:15." He told her.  
  
"Still early."  
  
"Don't worry, I have something planned."  
  
"What?" she looked at him wonderingly.  
  
"Come on." He snatched her hand and helped her out the door.  
  
Outside the air was humid, and thick with the scent of lilacs, the midnight sky was lit up by a White Lunar in its prime. The velvet blanket above their head was speckled with stars, and the whole world was so quiet...  
  
"It's so beautiful..." she murmured. Lizzie linked her arm in Gordo's, and he wound his fingers with hers, as they walked down the street together.  
  
Shadows crossed her face sometimes, and when he looked over, he saw that her eyes were glazed with wonder, as she breathed in the entire evening.  
  
"Gordo," she said presently.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"That's a secret."  
  
After what seemed like a long time, through the majestic scenery, they stopped by a set of gates.  
  
"Gordo..." she let go and walked over, "What it is this? This isn't the garden." But she recognized the metal work.  
  
"I found it the other day when I was going to the library. It's a secret entrance. C'mon." He pushed open one rusty gate slowly, and it creaked softly.  
  
They walked down a humid path, lined with forget-me-nots, and then they stopped.  
  
It was a fountain, at least six feet tall, engraved with Moons, stars and in the middle was towering goddess with long flowing hair, she looked almost alive in the cascading moon light.  
  
"It's Diana." He said, "Goddess of the moon."  
  
She nodded vaguely.  
  
"Sit down here." He ordered and as she touched the crystal droplets that fell from one of the stars made of creamy marble, she sat on a ledge that came out, the whole way around the fountain.  
  
"Gordo, it's so beautiful..." She looked over to reach for his hand...but he wasn't there. "Gordo?" she called, but no one answered her in the darkness. "Gordo?!" she cried, suddenly feeling a little panicked.  
  
She jumped up, and walked down the path a bit, "Gordo?" no answer. "Gordo! Oh, my God, Gordo where are you? GORDO!" Suddenly everything seemed so much darker, "GOR-" something touched her arm and she jumped a foot in the air.  
  
"Why did you move?" he asked, it was Gordo.  
  
"Don't do that!" she slapped his arm.  
  
He laughed, "Sorry, I was only gone for a minute, and besides I have a surprise for you."  
  
"I thought that this was the surprise."  
  
"This is only part of it, c'mon."  
  
She followed him back over to the fountain, and sat down. Suddenly three roses were in front of her, One red, one white and the last yellow.  
  
A small gasp escaped her throat, "They're lovely, and they're just like the ones you used to give me when we were little."  
  
He sat down and handed her the red rose. "This means True Love." he said softly,  
  
She took it and smelled it's sweet aroma.  
  
"This one," he handed her the white rose, "means Friendship, because now we have both."  
  
"It's lovely," she answered.  
  
"And then the yellow one." He held it up so that the moon caught the few droplets that hung from its sunny petals shimmered softly, "Means love everlasting."  
  
She couldn't speak.  
  
"Love can mean two things Lizzie," he whispered as he put an arm around her, "It can be the love from when we were five, and love can be this..." He leaned over and passionately kissed her on the lips.  
  
A few seconds after he leaned away, Lizzie smiled, and breathed in the scent of the three roses.  
  
"You know, I never would have guessed that my best friend could be this romantic..." she whispered.  
  
"And I never realized how much I love my best friend."  
  
She pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you, this was wonderful."  
  
"I love you McG."  
  
"I love you too, David Gordon."  
  
--  
  
Whew.it took me all day.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
And as always, reviews are lovely but not that important, and criticism is really helpful.  
  
-J~Ho 


	8. Breaking Up, Making upFalling Apart

Hey all, okay well a few things to discuss.  
  
I got very FEW reviews this time. Even though I say you DON'T have to review, I do like them, so maybe a few more this time, huh?  
  
If it sucks, then send me some criticism. Or just flame me, whatever, I'm happy just getting YOUR input.  
  
I'm gonna start working towards a chapter a week. I can't guarantee this, considering I have other crap to get done, but I will try hard, okay?  
  
(9 days till the movie!) YAY!  
  
Anywhoozle, on with the show!  
  
Disclaimer: Nope don't own Lizzie McGuire- if I did, I would promote Adam as much as they promote Hilary, they have so many pictures of her EVERYWHERE! Holy freaking crap...eee.  
  
Chapter 8 Breaking Up, Making Up-Falling Apart  
  
~*~A Few Months Later~*~ "Lizzie! Be careful!" Jo McGuire snapped peevishly as another dish hit the soapy dishwater, sending suds everywhere.  
  
"Sorry, Mom." She replied dully, it was Friday night, and she SHOULD have been out with Gordo somewhere, but oh no, he had called and canceled, AGAIN.  
  
The phone rang suddenly, but Lizzie didn't make a reach for it, her hands were wet and she was in too foul a mood to politely answer.  
  
RING!  
  
"WILL SOMEONE GET THAT?!" Jo called exasperatedly. Her hands were too filled with leftover containers of casserole, noodles and potatoes to answer.  
  
RRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGG!  
  
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET THE PHONE!" Lizzie hollered in disgust.  
  
RRRRIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!  
  
"MATT GET THE FREAKING PHONE!" Lizzie screamed.  
  
RRRRIII-"Hello?" Matt had scurried into the kitchen from his comfy spot watching TV in the Den. "Oh, hey Gordo...yeah hold on she's right here. Lizzie, it's Gordo." He held out the phone.  
  
She grabbed a dish towel and quickly dried off her hands, and then snatched the cordless out of her brother's out-stretched hand.  
  
"Hello?" she said quickly into the receiver as she marched out of the kitchen and into the hallway.  
  
"Hey." His warm voice floated back to her.  
  
Oh, how could she be mad at him? He was so sweet, and his voice! Oh his voice sounded so wonderful. (Especially after a long night of doing dishes.)  
  
"Look, I want to apologize about tonight." He began.  
  
"It's okay." She replied.  
  
"No, it's not; I need to make it up to you."  
  
"Well, we're still going for the boat ride on the lake next week, right?"  
  
The boat had been Lizzie's idea. She had seen it at the park the week before, the magnificent Crystal Lake was having boat rides on their big ferry, complete with dinner, and dancing.  
  
Gordo, who didn't mind being sappy and romantic for Lizzie had thought it dumb, till he saw how inexpensive it was.  
  
"That's why I called..." he began slowly.  
  
"Oh, what's up?"  
  
"I have to cancel, I'm so sorry," he began, "My parents they sprung dinner on me..."  
  
"Gordo that's the third time you've had to cancel this month!" Lizzie cried.  
  
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry..."  
  
"What, is it with the Felderman's again?" she asked disgustedly.  
  
"Yeah, Lizzie I'm so sorry..." He tried to apologize.  
  
"Yes well sometimes it gets to be a little too much!" she replied hotly. "Look, I don't care, you know I don't. Forget it; we just won't do anything ever again, EVER." And with that she hung up. "GAH!" she screamed, and left the phone on the small table by the large-white-oak door, then frustrated, pulled it open, stepping out into the clear July night.  
  
Why was he being so unreasonable? Why did he keep canceling? And why couldn't he just get out of it?  
  
She pushed her long blonde bangs out her hazel eyes and sat down on the stoop underneath the starry night sky.  
  
Everything had been perfect just a couple of months ago, and now, suddenly...her whole life was messed up again.  
  
The door opened behind her head, and she glanced over her shoulder: It was Matt.  
  
"Hey." He said softly. "Mind if I sit down? It's really warm in there."  
  
Lizzie smiled, "Sure." She moved over and he sat down next to her.  
  
"It's really beautiful tonight, isn't it?" he remarked casually.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"So, how long have you been dating him?" Matt asked.  
  
Lizzie looked over, how did he happen to know stuff like this? "It would have been three months on Wednesday."  
  
"Would have been?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, would have been." She answered, her heart aching.  
  
"Meaning...no longer?"  
  
"Yeah...meaning no longer."  
  
"I'm sorry Lizzie." Matt looked away. "I always thought that you two would be sort of...I dunno, cute together."  
  
She could feel a tear trickling down her cheek, "Yeah..." she sniffed, "We were."  
  
"What happened?" He asked, putting an arm around his sister's thin shoulders.  
  
"H-he kept..." she kept sniffing at intervals, "He kept canceling our dates. Like...all...the time...he said, he had dinner...dinner Matt...Dinner with this family that his parents...kept inviting over. And I think there was a girl there...he mentioned her...a couple of times...and every time...he had a dinner...he'd cancel. And...I just told him no...no...no...no more, and that I...didn't want to do anything if he didn't stop canceling. Oh, Matt I feel so awful."  
  
She turned and buried her head in her brother's shoulder.  
  
"I was so afraid that it would end like this, us hating each other...no longer talking because we were in love and how it just wouldn't work...and..."  
  
"Shhhhh, Lizzie, shh." Matt said soothingly. "Look, maybe it's all some big mistake..."  
  
"No," she said pulling away in disgust, "It's not, and I just don't feel like talking about it."  
  
"Look Lizzie, I know that you and Gordo have been best friends for a long time. And truth be told, we've been friends a long time too. He's one of the greatest guys I know. I mean Gordo is one of those people that would help you out no matter what happens. You're so lucky to have such a great friend. Why don't you just talk to him about it, give him a chance, Gordo would never intentionally hurt you."  
  
Lizzie looked up at him, when did her little brother become so smart?  
  
"Thanks Matt."  
  
"What are brother's for?" he asked.  
  
Just then, the door opened slowly behind them, it was Jo.  
  
"I'm sorry...are you two actually, SPENDING TIME TOGETHER?" she demanded, staring in horror at her children.  
  
"Matt gives some good advice sometimes Mom." Lizzie remarked, smiling at her little brother.  
  
"Hmmm...Right" Jo answered suspiciously. "Well, Lizzie I just wanted to tell you that Gordo called, and he said that you're to meet him at the park tomorrow morning at 11:00"  
  
Lizzie glanced at her brother, and he nodded lightly. "Okay, thanks Mom."  
  
--  
  
Lizzie's alarm went off at exactly 10:00 the next morning, and as she rolled out of bed, she couldn't stop thinking about a hundred things at one time. I mean, she knew that when she'd go to meet Gordo today something was going to happen. The only question was, would it be good? or bad?  
  
She got dressed in a pair of comfy shorts and a cute blue sleeveless top. She threw on a matching pair of flip-flop thongs, and pulled her hair up into a bun with chop-sticks. All dressed and ready she left the house at a quarter till, her heart pounding so hard she couldn't see straight.  
  
Hillridge Park was a large sunny place filled with gravely paths, and wide, sweeping, grassy areas, always open for people to play soccer, or throw a Frisbee or whatever. There were basket-ball, tennis, and hockey courts, and a large lake that was meant for skating in the winter, and swimming in the summer. It was a pretty beautiful place, but Lizzie and Gordo generally avoided it, simply because there were always too many people that they knew hanging out, and able to watch their every move.  
  
She knew where he wanted to meet her at, he didn't need to tell her, it was a large oak at the every edge, a tree that they had discovered wasn't too hard to climb, even though both of their mothers were vehemently against tree-climbing.  
  
She saw him, before he saw her, sitting cross legged on the arid ground, leaning against the burly trunk, his nose buried in a book.  
  
"Hello." She said softly.  
  
He looked up, his blue eyes like swimming pools that she just go lost in.  
  
"I didn't know if you would show up." He said, closing his novel, Tess of the D'Urbervilles.  
  
"I almost didn't, I'm just lucky enough to have a brother who cares." She answered almost scathingly.  
  
"Look," he said, getting up off of the ground, and walking towards her, "I'm sorry I canceled so much...it's not even like I wanted to." He was looking at the ground, "God...this is so complicated."  
  
"Gordo, this sounds sort of serious." Lizzie was starting to feel kind of bad.  
  
"Remember me telling you about the Feldermans? And how I thought it was so strange that my parents wanted me to meet their daughter?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well...I found out why, Sarah eaves-dropped on the conversation her mother had with mine and it turns out..." he started to laugh.  
  
"Gordo, I hope you realize I don't find this funny at all." She said hotly.  
  
"Sorry...they're trying to set us up Lizzie."  
  
"What do you mean 'set you up'?" she asked.  
  
"They think we'll hit it off or something, and end up getting married." He started to laugh again.  
  
"WHAT? That's awful, Gordo, stop laughing!" she cried incredulously.  
  
"Well, it is kind of funny isn't it? Complicated, yet funny." He was hoping that she'd laugh.  
  
"Gordo, why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?" she demanded.  
  
"Sarah figured it would be better if we didn't say anything, so we could "pretend" that something was happening, you know and maybe our parents would leave it at that. I mean Sarah HAS a boyfriend, Greg or something. But whatever. Look Lizzie, yeah I should have said something, but Sarah and I decided to keep our mouths shut."  
  
She looked at his curly head of hair, and sighed. "Well you gotta re- schedule our boat ride."  
  
Gordo smiled that big white, ear-to-ear grin and Lizzie started to laugh. He snatched her up around the waist and spun her in circles.  
  
After a moment he sat her back down on the ground, and she looked up at him,  
  
"So...where do we go from here?"  
  
"I don't know." He answered thoughtfully. "But I know one thing."  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
"I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes...ugh...BOYS!  
  
--  
  
~*Two years and 9 months later.*~  
  
PLOP! The little white paper landed on top of Lizzie's desk, it was small and folded, and she looked at it hesitantly.  
  
It had been a LONG time so Lizzie McGuire had gotten a note. Gordo never gave her any since they were in all but like three classes, and he was patient enough to wait and talk when class was over.  
  
Who would send her a note? All folded up like a paper football, neat little edges tucked in so perfect, it was obviously from a girl, but she didn't really have any girlfriends, the only one she'd ever had had abandoned her.  
  
It couldn't possibly be for her, maybe it had landed on her desk by mistake. She reached for the little white paper, with its little blue lines, and saw her name, written in swirly blue Jel Pen ink.  
  
Lizzie looked up; her Integrated Math II teacher Mrs. Gilson had her back to the class scribbling something on the marker board.  
  
She began unfolding the little edges, until she found inside a short little note, scribbled in curly writing:  
  
Dear Lizzie, I was just wondering who you were going to prom with. Word around the halls is that it's David Gordon. What's the scoop?  
  
Natalie  
  
Natalie? Oh...Natalie Davies. She turned around and looked at the girl sitting behind her. Nat was of middle height, with mousy hair and dull brown eyes.  
  
Lizzie shook her head to Nat and said, "I dunno yet."  
  
Lizzie and Gordo had been dating, however secretly for almost 3 years now, and they went to almost ever School Social function together. Some people said it was because they were best friends, other's claimed it was because they WERE dating, or maybe they just couldn't get other dates.  
  
It was a mystery (not to mention a scandal) in the halls of Hillridge High.  
  
Lizzie sighed, she hadn't decided whether or not she wanted to go to Prom with him or not. They hadn't gone last year because Grandma Ruth, Gordo's beloved grandmother had invited them all out to stay at her home in the Cascades, Lizzie had been invited too, and she figured that this would be a LOT more fun than prom.  
  
But this was SENIOR year. The biggest year of their Public-Education Years, and she kinda...sorta...okay REALLY wanted to go. But everybody would KNOW they were an item if they went together. You just don't go with you're best-friend to Senior Prom, unless you're more than friends.  
  
She sighed and chewed on the end of her Bic Click-Pencil, whoever said High School was easy obviously was lying.  
  
--  
  
"Hey." She said.  
  
Gordo looked up; he was digging in his locker for his Physics book, while shoving in his Calculus book, which was paper back. No one ever really WANTED to take Calc, until now everyone was required to take four years of Math instead of three. In years before there hadn't been much demand, so the school had gone with the cheaper, flimsy books.  
  
"Ugh...how can you take this stuff?" she demanded, as she snatched the book out of his hand and began leafing through it.  
  
"Trust me it's not like it was my choice." He replied.  
  
She looked at his face, he seemed so, so...so TIRED. Maybe they did need to have a night out at Prom, maybe all this hiding and pretending they'd been doing for the past three years was just...too much.  
  
"Look, I wanted to talk to you." Lizzie put the book back in the locker, as Gordo grabbed his stuff to go home.  
  
"About what?" he asked.  
  
"I'll tell you in the car."  
  
--  
  
"Well...yeah, I guess it would be sorta fun." He commented, as they turned out of the school parking lot and began heading towards Lizzie's house.  
  
It was her turn to drive that week and the little Volkswagen Cabrio that Lizzie drove was warm from sitting in the sun. The top was down, and the radio was blasting Michelle Branch's, "Everywhere".  
  
"Well I was just thinking, that you know, we could go and maybe talk to our parents about, well...us."  
  
"One problem with that," Gordo said, "my parents still seem to think that I am in love with Sarah."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"But what hell, it's Senior Prom. If you want to go, then we will." He reached over and grabbed her hand.  
  
"REALLY?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh, GORDO! THANK YOU! This means more than you will ever know."  
  
"Anything for you, McG."  
  
"What are we going to tell our parents?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"We won't." he replied.  
  
"Wait, what?"  
  
"Well...don't you have a dress from your cousin's wedding last summer?"  
  
"Well...yeah."  
  
"Does it fit?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Do you like it?"  
  
"Well it's actually very pretty...but it's last season...and a bride's maid's gown. But ah, what the heck."  
  
"And I have a tux from MY cousin Bat Mitzvah...so we're set."  
  
"So, we're not even going to tell them?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Why not? They're only going to bombard us with questions, take HUNDREDS of pictures, and then cry that we're going to prom."  
  
"Or yell because they think we're in love."  
  
"Heh...yeah that too."  
  
--  
  
"Lizzie?" Mrs. McGuire's voice floated upstairs.  
  
"WHAT?!" she hollered back.  
  
"COME DOWN HERE!"  
  
"UGH!" Lizzie was half way through 'Lucy's Wedding on '7th Heaven'. Was it so hard to just give her FIVE FREAKING MINUTES???!!!  
  
She tumbled down the wooden stairwell, and rushed into the kitchen, "What?" Lizzie asked, out of breath, "Hurry up, Matt just showed up."  
  
"Matt?" asked Mr. McGuire.  
  
"It's on '7th Heaven' Dad, don't worry." She replied hurriedly. "Now, WHAT?"  
  
"Lizzie my God, sometimes you act way too immature to be seventeen." Jo scolded lightly as she heated something up in the microwave.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Now, WHAT?"  
  
"We just wanted to tell you that this Friday, your Father and myself along with the Gordons will be going out to Lake Racetown, for a nice, peaceful get-a-way."  
  
"When will you be back?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Sunday night." Sam answered, somewhat distractedly, a pile of French fries were sitting in front of him, and he was hitting the end of the glass Heinz Ketchup bottle furiously, attempting to get something out.  
  
"Oh, so I guess I'll be babysitting the monster." At just that moment Matt skidded in, and then tripped falling on the wood floor.  
  
"Ack..." he muttered, "I...I MEANT to do that...yeah...yeah...uh-uh." He muttered weakly from his face down position on the floor.  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes.  
  
"No, actually Matt will be spending the weekend with Lanny." Jo answered, as she folded the dish rag neatly and laid it on the counter.  
  
"So, wait I get the house to myself?" Lizzie was suddenly feeling excited.  
  
"Lizzie don't get any ideas, you're not going to throw a party." Jo glared.  
  
"Like, who would I invite?" Lizzie asked, thinking the very idea ridiculous.  
  
"Just try not to tear the house apart, okay?" Jo replied.  
  
"I won't. Now can I PLEASE go back upstairs and finish watching my show?" she demanded.  
  
Jo nodded, just as Sam, who had turned the bottle upside down trying to see where the ketchup was exactly AT, gave it one last smack, and a whole glob of red hit him in the face.  
  
"God Sam...and you were recovering so well too." She sighed.  
  
--  
  
A half-an-hour later '7th Heaven' had ended, and Lizzie was curled up on her bed talking to Gordo.  
  
"So I thought maybe you could come over on Friday, or even Saturday, it doesn't matter, and we can just spend some alone time."  
  
"Uh...Friday, Saturday we can go to the park, it's supposed to rain Friday night. But other than that, it sounds great." He answered, as he lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling, but nothing really in particular.  
  
"Coolie." She answered happily.  
  
"Ooh, I just thought of something." Gordo sat upright in his bed, an idea, a good one too, like always striking him last minute. "How bout we rent out the Star Wars Episodes I and II and just curl up on your couch eating popcorn and being lazy."  
  
"Oh I like." She replied, thinking of Hayden Christensen.  
  
"Actually, I may have the DVDs down stairs I'll bring them over." An image of Natalie Portman floating in his head.  
  
"Lizzie, GET DOWN HERE!" it was Sam. "You need to pick up the kitchen."  
  
"Ugh...I have to go." She said exhaustedly, "I'll talk to you later."  
  
"Bye, Lizzie..." he paused, "I love you."  
  
"I love you too Gordo. Gotta book, bye!" and she hung up. "It is SO nice having a boyfriend!" she said to no one but herself.  
  
--  
  
"Emergency numbers are by the phone, and flashlights in the cupboard and..."  
  
"MOM! I got it! Have a good time; I'll talk to you on Sunday." Lizzie shoved her parents towards the door.  
  
"I'm sorry honey; I've just never left you alone this long before!" Jo sniffed.  
  
"Yeah, I know, now GO!" She yanked open the front door, only to find that it was pouring down rain.  
  
"Oh, Sam...maybe we shouldn't go...I mean..." Jo looked hesitantly at the dark evening, and the heavy down pour.  
  
"Sweetheart tomorrow's supposed to better now, come on let's go." Sam maneuvered his wife to the door, his hands loaded with suitcases and his rain jacket.  
  
"Well...alright, be good sweetie," she gave Lizzie one last kiss and then hurried out the door, umbrella over head, Sam teetering nervously with all the luggage.  
  
"Bye honey!" he yelled.  
  
Lizzie watched them load things quickly and then yelled as the little blue Passat wagon started backing out of the driveway, "BYE! HAVE A GOOD TIME!"  
  
Once she could no longer see the car, she closed the door, blocking out the sound of falling rain drops.  
  
"Wow you're parents take FOREVER." Gordo commented, he was reclining on his, on the McGuire's couch, bowl of popcorn in hand.  
  
"Only when it comes to leaving their "babies" at home." She replied. Lizzie glanced at the couch, there seemed to be no room for her to sit, so instead she came over and laid down, leaning against Gordo. He put his arms around her, and then grabbed the remote to start "Episode I: The Phantom Menace".  
  
Lizzie loved the Star Wars movies, thanks to Gordo of course. He'd gotten her started on the original trilogy a long time ago, somewhere around the age of eight.  
  
She felt his hands wrap around hers and she sighed peacefully, it was the perfect night to be inside, just with Gordo.  
  
--  
  
"I never can tell if I like the first one or the second one better." She commented, as two and half hours later Gordo was putting in the "Episode II: Attack of the Clones" DVD.  
  
"Well now you can make a better decision." He answered as the two curled back up together underneath the afghan that was fetched right before the space ship landed on Tatouine.  
  
"Thank you." She said as the original theme came blasting over the Television Speakers.  
  
"For what?" he asked.  
  
"This great idea. I mean as much as I like romantic boat rides and going ice-skating or bowling or out-to-eat...this was an even BETTER idea, it's nice it's quiet, I really like it." She tilted her back to smile at him, and he kissed her.  
  
"Well I'm glad, too bad we can't do it too often." He chuckled softly.  
  
She snuggled her head farther onto his chest and they continued to watch.  
  
--  
  
Two and half hours later both of them were sound asleep on the couch, it was almost 1:30 AM, and the movie was almost over.  
  
The door of the McGuire house creaked open silently, but its opening brought in the sounds of the heavy storm outside.  
  
"Can you believe," mused Jo as she rung out her umbrella, "that all the roads would be closed like that?"  
  
"Five hours of driving!" Hannah threw her hands in the air.  
  
"Let's all just go in, get something to eat, and thank you, again by the way Jo, Sam for letting us stay here." Adam said, in his usual rational voice.  
  
"Well this way we can all get back up tomorrow and drive to the lake again...ugh or at least call and complain." Sam dropped his bags.  
  
"Wait, do you hear that?" Jo asked.  
  
"What?" Hannah looked around.  
  
"The music..."  
  
The two couples walked into the living room, and saw the TV screen, Anakin and Padme were kissing for the first time as Husband and Wife, to the music of "Across the Stars" the sweet love theme from the movie.  
  
And then, horrified they also saw; sound asleep in each other's arms...  
  
Thier children.  
  
--  
  
It was chaos, absolute screaming, eccentric, chaos.  
  
"Just WHAT do you think you are doing?" demanded Sam, ripping the afghan off the top of the sleeping couple.  
  
Lizzie opened her eyes groggily, until she saw her father's seething face before her, Sam's very face PURPLE with rage.  
  
Well, she was awake now.  
  
"What's going on her?" roared Adam.  
  
Gordo got up off the coach, "I...I..." he began  
  
"David, please tell me that what I'm seeing here is all a mistake, please don't tell me that we've wasted three years trying to arrange you and Sarah, please, PLEASE tell me..."  
  
Her face was white, her hands shaking.  
  
"Lizzie...what?" Jo was lost for words her eyes glassy.  
  
She looked at her mother's scared face, her father's furious one, and she wanted to scream. She wanted to yell at the top of her lungs that she, she Lizzie McGuire loved David Gordon, that he was the most amazing person in her life, that only he could make her see stars when they kissed, only he could hold her hand and make the butterflies dance in her stomach, and that only he could make her laugh, like no one else could.  
  
But she didn't.  
  
She couldn't.  
  
She couldn't even move.  
  
Gordo looked at her, and she looked back. She stared into blue eyes that she'd known since child-hood, into a face that had changed only so little since they were small. She wanted to stop and kiss him in front of her whole God damned family.  
  
But she didn't.  
  
She couldn't.  
  
There was no way.  
  
"We're leaving." Adam said his voice thick with disgust. He grabbed Gordo's arm gruffly and dragged him towards the door.  
  
"Jo, I hope you had nothing to do with this." Hannah looked at the woman she had been friends with for almost twenty years.  
  
"No, I had no idea." She answered, "But I'll find out what's going on." She glared at Lizzie.  
  
And then he was gone.  
  
The door closed, and the sound of thunder rumbled outside of the McGuire house, but it was about to be rumbling inside too.  
  
Lizzie looked at her parents. 'Oh...God...' she thought. 'Oh, my God.'  
  
-- TA-DA!  
  
Chapter 8 is done.WHOO HOO! 


	9. Dumb Girl

Hey everybody...long time no write huh?  
  
I want to apologize for that. Summer was hectic, and I just didn't feel like doing anymore 'Lizzie' stuff. But when I got my video yesterday I was like, 'Ya know, I need to get back to work'. So I have.  
  
I think this was good for me, because this week two kids from my school died in a tragic car crash. It's been really hard to deal with, and I needed something to help me unwind.  
  
So now, before you continue, *stick out arm* You all get a free slap for my laziness and stupidity!  
  
Okay on with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: Nope don't own anything, except for the Felderman clan.  
  
Chapter 9: Dumb Girl  
  
"David!" Adam attempted to go into his son's room, but it slammed in face. "Let me in, this instant!" he demanded, jiggling the locked knob.  
  
There was no answer from inside.  
  
Gordo flopped down on his bed. How much worse could his life get? How could this be happening?  
  
He heard the lock pop on his door, and his father burst in.  
  
"So what now, I don't even get any privacy? You've disrupted my life once already tonight Dad, do you really need to do it again?" Gordo bolted up from his bed, looking his father right in the eye.  
  
"Yes I do!" Adam face was purple.  
  
"Oh my God!" Gordo sat down and rested his head in hands. "You'd think, you'd THINK that as a psychologist you wouldn't try to ruin you're child's life."  
  
"David that has nothing to do with this! The only reason we try to set you up with Sarah was because we were afraid you'd go through your life lonely. We didn't want to see you live through High School out-casted."  
  
"Hmmm...funny Dad haven't I always had friends?" He replied hotly.  
  
"Yes, Lizzie and Miranda..."  
  
"Oh...no...I know where this is going." Gordo jumped up again, shaking his head in disgust. "I can't believe this." He stared at his Father in disgust, "You-you thought I was going to be gay. And you freaked out!"  
  
Mr. Gordon looked at the ground.  
  
"Dad, this is ME we're talking about here. Besides, don't you think I would have come to you if I had thought of that at all? You see gay people everyday; you even support GLAD, what would be wrong with ME being gay? Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"  
  
"Yeah, you're right I'm sorry." Adam looked away, running his hand over his short hair. "I guess I was just sort of scared about what the rest of the family would say."  
  
"Yeah, but Dad, I'm not so it would matter, and even it did, I've always been sort of different, and I doubt the family would go postal just because of it."  
  
"Think back to your Grand-father David."  
  
"True. Opa wouldn't be too happy I guess, but he wouldn't hate me!" Gordo sighed, "I mean...God it's not like I am anyway! " he paused, "So are we good now? You're not still mad?"  
  
"But wait, wait, don't even THINK that you're going to wiggle out of this. Are you dating Lizzie?"  
  
Gordo sat down, "Yeah, since Freshman year."  
  
Adam's jaw dropped. "So let me get this straight, you would have told me you were gay, if you had been of course, but you couldn't find the time to confide in me the fact that there was no point to you being with Sarah?" The anger was returning to his voice.  
  
"Because I knew you would have acted like this!" Gordo was back on his feet, for the third time.  
  
"Now who's the hypocrite?" Adam demanded.  
  
"We knew you'd get mad over the religion difference!" Gordo cried.  
  
Adam bit his lip; he couldn't yell anymore, he began heading for the door, just to get away from his son, he shouldn't have blown up like that. But he stopped just before crossing into the hallway, he found a ticket sitting on his son's desk, he picked it up.  
  
"What are you doing?" Gordo demanded.  
  
Adam read it thoughtfully, and then said, "You were going to go to Prom with her."  
  
"Well yeah, I always go to social things at school with her, since you know, we were dating Dad."  
  
"And you led your mother and I to believe that was all out of friendship."  
  
"How else would you have let us go?? We always went like that so you wouldn't know."  
  
He shook his head. "Well guess what? You're still going to Prom, but you're going with Sarah, you can buy tickets at the door right? Because obviously Lizzie has the other ticket."  
  
Gordo opened his mouth.  
  
"And don't lie to my David, I'll have your head if you do."  
  
He nodded meekly.  
  
"I'll call the Felderman's tomorrow, to make sure she Sarah has a dress. And you will still go to Prom my son, just with the girl I intend on seeing you marry."  
  
"Dad may I remind you that in two weeks both Lizzie and I will be 18 years old, I can do whatever the hell I want, whenever I want." Gordo's voice was flat and even, he was attempting his composure.  
  
"Not if you want the money to go to college. You're grounded, for three weeks. Make it four for swearing." And he marched out, the door slamming behind him.  
  
For a long moment Gordo starred at the back of that door.  
  
"Holy shit..."  
  
--  
  
She attempted to make a mad dash to the stairway, but her mother's voice stopped her.  
  
"Elizabeth Brooke McGuire, I want an explanation and I want one now."  
  
Lizzie looked from face to the other, fear ebbing away, replaced by anger.  
  
"I don't see why I even owe you one," she snapped. "I was curling up with Gordo on the couch...because..." she paused, "because I love him," she finished.  
  
"You, LOVE him?" Sam demanded.  
  
"We have been best friends for seventeen years Dad!" Lizzie cried exasperatedly. "And we've been dating for the past three years!"  
  
"You...you've been dating?" Jo stammered.  
  
"Yeah...we have been Mom. We didn't say anything, because the Gordons were trying to set Gordo up with that Sarah girl...and we didn't want everyone to think it was this big deal incase it didn't work out...and..." she paused again not really sure what to say.  
  
"You've been dating for three years?? You've managed to stay in love with each other, and be a happy couple for three years?" Jo whispered.  
  
Lizzie nodded.  
  
"Oh, my God, honey!" she rushed over and hugged her daughter. "I am so proud of you for being mature enough to handle that."  
  
"Thanks Mom," Lizzie whispered as she returned her Mother's tight embrace.  
  
But Sam was still staring at her, a cross expression on his face. "Lizzie, I love you, and Gordo...he's a great kid. I am okay with you two together...but three years is a long time. And I read 'Parent Magazine'..." he stopped at the shocked expression on his wife's face, "Well I do!" he snapped, "Anyway the point is, I know some kids that aren't even together that long...and they...um...they..."  
  
"We haven't had sex yet Dad if that's what you're wondering," Lizzie answered cutting him off. "No where even close to that. We both have morals; I would expect you of all people to realize that I'm not that kind of person."  
  
He nodded looking relieved, and then in a swift motion hurried over to hug his daughter.  
  
Wrapped in the love of her parents, Lizzie felt a lot better about that evening. She was glad they knew...she was tired of hiding her love.  
  
~*~Fathers be good to your daughters  
  
Daughters will love like you do  
  
Girls become lovers, who turn into mothers  
  
So Mothers be good to your daughters too~*~  
  
--  
  
The May air was warm around Lizzie's shoulders as she pulled her sweater on, and began to walk down her sidewalk, set out for the Gordon's.  
  
No one had answered the telephone that afternoon, and so finally Lizzie decided the best way was to simply walk down and demand to speak with the whole family. Mrs. McGuire had offered a thousand times to accompany her, but Lizzie chose to handle this on her own. Her flipping stomach kept making her think about Gordo, and how she knew the main reason she was going through with this was because eventually she could see herself married to Gordo...and being the Gordon's daughter-in-law. They'd been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, and they were not about to slither out of the picture now.  
  
She walked down the smooth sidewalk, attempting to keep control of her jittery nerves. The house was coming into view a head, and Lizzie breathed in again, finally stopping at then of their driveway.  
  
"Okay, here we go."  
  
She was walking up the stone path to the front door when she heard someone laugh loudly; it seemed to be coming from the backyard.  
  
Lizzie wound her way around the shrubbery and trees in the Gordon's side yard, finally with a clear view of the back lawn, and stopping dead in her tracks she saw Gordo holding a dark haired girl in his arms. Both of them had large smiles, laughter filling the tiny clearing.  
  
Lizzie put a hand over her mouth, trying with difficulty to suck in some air through her nose, attempting to fill her lungs with oxygen which she was greatly lacking at that moment.  
  
She leaned forward ever so slightly, and a twig snapped under her blue bowling shoes. The sharp snap startled Sarah and Gordo, causing their smiles to disappear and them to release each other's embrace.  
  
"Lizzie!" Gordo cried, and began to head towards her, but Lizzie wasn't listening, she turned on her heel in horror and sprinted out of the yard. "Lizzie!!" he screamed chasing after her. But before he could escape the boundaries of his own yard, a hand caught his arm and pulled him back, it was his Father.  
  
"What are you doing?" he demanded, "Sarah's waiting, you're lucky we don't tell the Feldermans this whole story," Gordo stared at him, as his father turned away and went back into the house. He turned away and watched as he saw her blonde hair fly around the corner...and she was gone.  
  
What was he going to do?  
  
~*~ And I don't know where you went when you left me but It says here in the water, you must be gone by now I can tell somehow I'm filled with sadness ~*~  
  
-One Month Later-  
  
"Did you see her?"  
  
"Yes! She's so beautiful!"  
  
"How did he land her??"  
  
The whispers were everywhere that Monday. It was less than two weeks till graduation, and that Saturday had been Prom. Everyone was a buzz over Gordo's date Sarah.  
  
Lizzie didn't know, she hadn't attended.  
  
That month was the worst of her life. The feeling in her stomach was like a rock, just lying there. Her heart felt nothing...it was lifeless and dead...  
  
~*~He broke my heart today  
  
I don't know what to say  
  
I can't feel a thing at all  
  
I did not see it comin'  
  
Now you just a man that got away  
  
I look at the ground  
  
And give the sky the middle finger  
  
Something inside said  
  
"Here's a day you should remember  
  
So mark it on a wall"~*~  
  
Walking down the hallway she would everyone's eyes, especially his. He had tried to call her, talk to her, leave her notes...but she didn't want to listen, hadn't he hurt enough already?  
  
~*~I never believed it could happen to me  
  
Something like this only happens to dumb girls  
  
Taking themselves too seriously  
  
I was so damn smart  
  
I was the one girl  
  
Who never believed it could happen to me  
  
Something like this only happens to somebody else~*~  
  
She concentrated instead on her homework, her classes, all her tests and most importantly finals. A week after break up she received her acceptance letter to NYU, in three months she'd be there, far away from Gordo and all the things she needed to forget.  
  
She wasn't going to be dumb any longer. She needed to grow up.  
  
~*~I guess I'm just a dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb girl  
  
That's what I am  
  
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb girl~*~  
  
--  
  
The finale will come within the next few weeks and then maybe I'll get back to 'Stuck'  
  
Jen 


End file.
